Beauty of the Beasts
by Preventer Squall
Summary: AU based on 'Beauty and the Beast'. A curse rests in the Forest of Death, and only love can break it. Can love be found, or do the Akatsuki have their own plans? Rated PG13. Pairings: NaruHina, SakuSasuIno, NejiTen
1. Prologue

Hello one and all. Welcome to my first Naruto fanfiction. Despite how much I love this series, I do not own it. If I did, I would use the money to buy parts for my death ray and CONQUER THE WORLD! MWAHAHAHAHA!

..cough cough Moving on.

This here is definitely an AU fic, with pairings aimed at Naru/Hina, Neji/TenTen, Saku/Sasu/Ino, and other possible pairings, depending on recommendations from those who review. Due to blood and profanity, this will be rated PG-13, though it may go up depending on how nefarious I feel later. Constructive criticism is welcome, positive ones will be enjoyed, and flames will be ignored or laughed at, depending on my mood. Please enjoy.

"Blah" Normal Speak

"_Blah"_ Thought Speak

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Preventer Squall presents:

**Beauty of the Beasts**

_**Prologue**_

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The Third Hokage swore under his breath as he bounded on the branches of the trees, his breathing labored as he carried the parcel under one of his hairy arms. He tried not to let himself bleed on it, even though he still had a kunai sticking out from his back. "_It feels like it punctured my lung." _he thought to himself, sure that such had been the reason why his limbs burned and his lungs ached. Such may have been one of the larger reasons, but the primary reasons for his failing body was probably the poisonous blade that had cut him along his abdomen, having missed the vital organs, but been fatal enough on its own.

He took a moment to glance down at the small creature that had huddled to his chest, shivering and trying very hard not to cry as he felt his protector dying, and all because of him. Sarutobi could hear the child's whimpering, how his heart beat like a wild rabbit. He would have attributed such a fact to his many years of ninja training, but there were other things now contributing to this fact, making itself known by how all of his senses were enhanced.

The colors of the trees were more vivid, making it easier for the elder ninja to avoid the various snares and traps that they had set to try and impede his escape. His ears would constantly twitch at the sounds of branches bending behind him, the lack of tact in the maneuverings telling him it could only be a single man. The corner of his lips tugged into a smirk as he heard the clash of kunai, silently glad that he had been given a change for escape. His nose could smell the well greased trap pulleys and the old blood that had to be from pre-planned capture jutsu, letting his feet grab hold of the branch and swing off of it, allowing him to sail over the hail of kunai and shiruken that came from his left.

Unfortunately, the single projectile that came from his right had found its mark, imbedding itself from his side and earning a pained grunt from its target.

The little parcel felt the tremor that passed through his savior and whimpered in unabashed terror, his tiny hands clenching the old ninja's suit as tightly as he could, as though that would somehow remedy the injuries that had been sustained because of him. All of this had been his fault, even though he hadn't meant any of it. The one that had brought him to that place told him he could make everything better, and now look where that had gotten them.

Everyone who had been there was now cursed, and it was because of him. This returning realization caused him to cry all the harder, burying his fuzzy head against the old Hokage's shirt in a vain attempt to stop the tears. The gnarled hand that rested itself on the back of his head made him sniffle in surprise, turning those pure blue eyes up at the smiling face, which promised to protect him for as long as his body would allow. But with the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, the child unconsciously knew that this would not be for much longer.

Forced to alter his trajectory because of the new projectile sticking out from his flank, the Third Hokage curled into a ball and spun several times at the same time as he sailed through the air, letting gravity drag him back to earth. Before collision, the cunning ninja was suddenly abound with movement, keeping the boy clutched to him with one arm while the other was extended outward, as were his legs, to be sure that he landed with minimal additional body stress. Staring down at the ground in his crouched position, he panted loudly, trying to clear the fog from his mind while he heard someone nimbly land several feet infront of him. The cloak that fluttered in the wind told him who it was, though he remained as he was in the hopes that the owner of that cloak was not who he was.

"I think you've done enough running for one day, sensei." the voice hissed, unknowingly having shattered the old man's hopes once again before taking several steps towards him. "While I notice that your skill has not wavered much in your years, I can also tell that you are no longer able to contend with us." he stated in an almost casual tone, though the venom in his undertones did little to conceal its foreboding malice.

Sarutobi forced himself to stand once again, glaring daggers at the former student as he approached. "Orochimaru…" he growled out, boring holes in those slit eyes with his own glare, trying not to look at the scratched headband that seemed there only to mock his personal failure.

"Do not look at me so reprehensibly, sensei. It was your own fault for harboring that monster, instead of giving him over to us like anyone with sense would have." the former leaf-nin couldn't help but smirk at his own words. "But for having killed two of my colleagues, I will begrudgingly applaud your ability, which could only come from the past and current Hokage." he was unable to stifle his chuckle as he thought about how the old monkey was reinstated after losing his predecessor. And to think, that could have been him. "If you hand over the little demon, I will end your life quickly, and we may still be able to reverse this curse that was brought upon us all."

The initial response he earned for the offer was a bloody spit smattering his cheek. "As if I would trust the word of a traitor." he snarled, unaware of how the small boy stared up at him, hoping that he wouldn't be turned over to the scary man that stood before them. "You see this child as a demon, but I know him to be a member of our village. And like anyone from my village, I would rather die then see them in the hands of the Akatsuki!" the Hokage drew a kunai as though to emphasize his declaration, thrusting it forward as Orochimaru ran his sword through the elder ninja's sternum, a wicked grin lighting the serpent ninja's face as he watched the old monkey's eyes start to glaze over.

Of course, he could feel the kunai dig itself into his stomach, slowly being pushed upward in an attempt to gut the traitor where he stood. Rather then let that happen, he leapt back, clutching his bleeding wound as he waited for his former teacher to die so he could relieve him of the little orange burden. He didn't even realize someone had gotten behind him until he felt an immense burst of chakra being hurled into his back, earning a pained scream as Orochimaru was suddenly hurled into the air, clutching a tree branch as he tried to remain conscious.

"Damn. He ain't dead." Jiraya grumbled to himself, snorting and looking exceptionally displeased that the Rasengan hadn't finished the bastard off. Wasn't rooted enough for the attack to kill him, but it was more then capable of putting him close to death for awhile. Before he could go and finish the snake off, watched as another cloaked individual landed on the tree, making the various hand signs for a teleportation jutsu. "Oh no you don't!" he howled before throwing several kunai and shiruken, only to hit nothing but air and tree as the two disappeared. Clenching his fists in anger, he thought about attempting to track them, only to have a choked voice call out to him. Before he even realized it, he was suddenly at Sarutobi's side, kneeling down and clutching the old man's furry hand with his slickened one.

He could feel his own heart starting to shatter as he looked down at his sensei, who managed enough focus to look up at his student. "Jiraya…I need you..to look after the boy." he said in a hoarse whisper, soon followed by a bout of blood smattered coughing. "They'll try again…and he needs to be ready."

"Of course, old man, of course." Jiraya quickly said, as though his pleading words would somehow bring his beloved teacher back from the brink of death. "I'll help all of the ones who got cursed, so don't you worry."

That brought a smile to the Third Hokage's face. "I know you will. And…I'm proud to call you my student." he could feel his own voice start to fade, though he refused to leave this world without telling Jiraya that. After all that had happened, it was the least his deserved. As that last word left his lips, a soft exhale of breath soon followed, the old man's eyes slipping shut as he fell into the embrace of death.

The silence that followed was marred by the sounds of two people crying. One voice belonged to the elite sannin ninja, who held his sensei in his arms and wept at the death of a great man. The second came from the boy wrapped in orange who cried as he clutched the shirt of the Third Hokage, saddened at how his protector had died because of his very existence.

All either of them could think was that this wasn't fair.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jiraya rubbed his eyes and moved up pick up his charge, smiling softly in an attempt to quell the cries. "C'mon, Naruto. It's time we went back." he said before he started the trek to the imposing tower in the distance, chuckling as he felt a furry tail tickle his nose.

Fixing this was going to be interesting, to say the least.

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There we have it, ladies and gents! My first installment is complete, and I would love to hear what you think about it. I promise it won't be this dreary through all of the fic, so don't think badly of it just yet. Please review, and I'll give you a cookie!


	2. Ch 1: Follow

Welcome to the second chapter. To those that reviewed the first chapter, I'm glad you enjoyed my first installation, and glad the response was all positive. I was even put on someone's Author Alert. Yay for me! It's only right I put something in response.

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_Gandhara_: I think I can squeeze in another brawl between Jiraiya and Orochimaru, though the Snake Sanin won't be poking his head in again until afew more chapters in the future. -hands over a chocolate chip cookie-

_Vensert_: Danke. That's exactly the feel I was going for, though I promise that it'll be more light and humorous as the chapters progress. -give Vensert a chocolate cookie-

_Cdromdrive_: I'm pleased to see you actually put me in the AA, though you should review what you thought too. I enjoying hearing input from my readers. -pokes before handing over a cookie to bribe cd to review next time-

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Look back to my first part for the details of my disclaimer. I am too poor to sue, so I wouldn't mind if anyone made donations to my 'Take over the World' fund. If someone does, then I think I would be willing to give them a continent or island, depending on the size of the donation. Think about that while you read.

"Blah" Normal Speak

"_Blah"_ Thought Speak

**Beauty of the Beasts**

**_Chapter 1: Follow the Bouncing Cyclops_**

**_  
_**

He had been told that those woods were off limits. Of course, that was told to him by the Main House of the Hyuuga Clan, so it made him all the more willing to ignore such an order.

Neji brushed the excess dust from the sleeves of his white coat after he leapt over the fence, his chest puffing out slightly as he sauntered into the imposing forest. He had been sure to replenish his various armament and food stuffs before heading into such a dangerous place, though he had decided not to inform his teammates of where he was going. If their instructor found out, he would give them a week-long lecture about following the rules that would invariably involve strange poses, crying, and teeth that glinted at the end of every other sentence.

Just the thought of it sent a shiver down his spine.

The young Hyuuga Branch member had yet to activate the Bloodline limit, wanting to go further into the forest before he began the training. He had heard of the various creatures and things that lived here, and was sure a day or two training here each week would make him an even better ninja in time for the Chuunin Exam. When the time arrived, he would be able to put that spineless little urchin of a cousin in her place. And he would do so hard.

Unfortunately for him, the young Neji was so distracted by his plans for when became a Chuunin that he didn't notice someone watching him from the trees. At least, he hadn't yet.

Glancing at the trees and at the less then sporadic spots of sunlight in the canopy, he was sure that this would be far enough to begin his training regimen. Activating the Byakugan, he flared his nostrils as he found himself able to see in almost every angle around him, thoroughly examining his surroundings before entering the Gentle Fist fighting form that was practically second nature to him. He was always fascinated by how the chakra would leak from the openings in his fists when he struck his imaginary opponent, only expelling charka when he would actually make contact with his nonexistent quarry. For reasons that escaped him, he imagined this particular opponent to be shorter them him and as irritating as they came, practically able to see this opponent in his minds eye.

"You do know this forest is off limits, right?" asked a voice from out of nowhere, forcing the young Hyuuga to spin around and look where his blindspot had been moments before, his hand automatically reaching back for his packet of kunai. But by then, the blur of orange had already dislodged itself from its branch perch, its fist swinging too fast for Neji to dodge.

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"Damnit, where the hell is he?" TenTen practically growled those words as she stormed down the street, her anger so noticeable that all the passersby gave her a wide berth when she and her teammate, Rock Lee, continued their search for their missing team member. They were all supposed to meet for training two hours ago, and she had no interest in telling Instructor Gai that they had somehow lost him. If she had to go through another of those brain-melting lectures because of him, she would skin Neji alive with a butterknife!

Rock Lee merely looked at his teammate/friend and sighed. He knew that she was as worried about Neji as he was, if not moreso, but she preferred to cover up such a fact by bringing her anger to the forefront. "Calm down, TenTen. We've already searched the places he usually goes, and I'm sure he wouldn't do anything dangerous without us." the attempt to placate her did not go unnoticed, since she suddenly pivoted her head around and fixed him with a venomous glare, which was her way of saying 'yes, he's that stupid'. Forced to sigh out his objections, his mood seemed a continued downward spiral until he caught sight of his beloved. "SAKURA-CHAAN!"

That was the only warning the startled girl got before she saw something leap into the air spinning several times before he nimbly landed on the ground and got right in her face, a glint in his eyes as he got right in her face. "err...Good morning to you too, Lee-kun." Sakura offered him a cracked smile in greeting, which seemed to only add fuel to the fire.

"_She's smiling at me! Truly, the heavens are also smiling upon me his day!"_ Lee thought as he felt his hope was quickly rekindled, the fire retuning to his eyes as he felt that he was nothing short of invincible at that moment.

That was, of course, until he was struck in the back of the head by TenTen's halisen, which send him to the ground in a sprawled heap.

TenTen looked at Rock and shook her head in irritation, though she flashed Sakura and her team a smirk when she saw how grateful the pink-haired kunoichi looked. After a moment of silence, she was struck with an idea and turned her gaze to another member of Sakura's team. "Hinata-san, would you happen to know where your cousin is today?" she asked as politely as she could, liking the shy Hyuuga girl a great deal more then Neji seemed to.

Hinata meekly nodded at the inquiry, her posture straightening everso slightly when she was addressed by the older kunoichi. "I believe I do, TenTen-san." she said softly, though her voice was still able to carry to all within the group. After Neji spoke/berated her this morning, she had hoped that she could travel with Sakura to the bridge, where Shino was probably waiting for them, and forget the entire ordeal in training. "If I recall correctly, he said he was going.." she paused and pressed her index fingers together, staring down at them as she felt three pair of eyes watch her with captivated interest. After taking a moment to marshal her courage, she continued. "He said he was going..to the Forest of Death." she finally managed to squeak out, wincing ahead of time in preparation for what was coming.

"He went WHERE!" TenTen bellowed, unaware of all the attention she had suddenly attracted to herself. "That place is forbidden by order of the Hokage herself! Did that baka actually go there?" she had been speaking in a more or less rhetorical fashion, but Hinata nodded all the same. This seemed to only irritate the bun-haired women even more, who placed her hands over her eyes and gritted her teeth as she let out a growl of irritation. How could they find him now? The diameter of the forest to the tower was at least a two day run for a shinobi, making it almost impossible to find someone when they went inside.

Thankfully, someone had been paying more attention then the average passerby did. "Are you talking about the Forest of Death?" someone asked in a casual tone of voice, all four heads suddenly turning around in order to see who it was that had spoken to them. From the military green vest that adorned his chest, despite being somewhat concealed by the bag of groceries he held, he was either a Chuunin or Jounin, though it wasn't what they were staring at. Neither were they staring at the dark blue half mask that concealed his nose and mouth. What TenTen and Sakura noticed was the practically silver hair that seemed to be defying gravity, while Lee and Hinata were mystified by how he had his hitai-atewas pulled over left eye, which meant he was using it as a makeshift eyepatch. To be a shinobi that could compensate for such a dehabilitation, he was most likely a high ranking Jounin.

Strangely enough, none of them had ever seen him around before. With an appearance like that, they would have certainly remembered.

"Sorry for interrupting, but I couldn't help but overhear. I heard someone had jumped the gate an hour or so ago from the northeast sector, and I was already on my way to find out who that was. Care to tag along?" he asked, the crinkle in his visible eye telling them that he was smiling beneath his mask. He seemed to be even more amused when they all nodded in unison, and hadn't asked him why it took two hours for him to get to the Forest, then nodded in return before casually walking down the street. "Then let's go."

"We would, if you were going the right way." Sakura commented, causing the grey-haired ninja stop in his tracks and look back at them. "…oh right. I forgot." he chuckled and spun around on the balls of his feet and resumed his leisurely pace, seemingly unaware of the sweat drop that trickled down the young girl's temple. "_Is this guy for real?"_ she asked herself, letting out a sigh before she and the others followed after the older shinobi.

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The chain link fence seemed to loom ominously over the quintet, forcing several to swallow the nervous sensation that had been building in the back of their throats. Hinata was one of them, but was the first to speak. "Ano…don't we need written permission from the Hokage to enter these woods?" she inquired, her attention fixed on their makeshift leader, who casually had drawn a key card from one of his pockets.

"Under normal circumstances, that would be true. But for the time being, I can sorta deputize the four of you, so we can all go in and look for your friend. Does that sound alright?" he couldn't help but grin at the mousy little girl, who seemed so shy and adorably cute you just wanted to squeeze her and see if she squeaked. What else caught his attention was the sudden movement from the kid with the Moe Howard haircut, who was now standing beside Hinata and clenching a bandage-wrapped fist.

"I know I would be honored to be given such a special courtesy. Please count me in!" was all Lee could say, too moved to say anything else, but sure that his friend all agreed with him in his sentiment. Of course they did, though it was only about the counting them in part, rather then being moved close to tears. That was just too Lee to be anyone else.

It was just too familiar not to be disturbing. "Must be one of Gai's students." he muttered to himself before he swiped the key through a small black box that seemed to be haphazardly placed on the fence, a chime echoing through the air before a section of the screen swung into the forest. The students all blinked at once when they realized that it was actually a hidden gate, the dark blue sigils painted on the border having been some sort of genjutsu. "It keeps people from trying to break in where they're not allowed to go." the man said, snapping them out of their surprise so they could follow him into the woods. "We'll start at one of the little check in points. It's about a three hour walk from here, so let's run. If your friend has been caught, I can only hope that HE isn't there with him." he shook a thought from his mind before taking to the trees, soon followed by the four Genin, who were hard pressed to keep up with him while they all wonder who on earth HE was.

Do any of you know who 'he' is? If you do, consider yourself smart. If you haven't, look back up for the clue I left, find it, THEN consider yourself smart. Either way, if you're smart, then you'll review as soon as you can.

In the chapter, we'll find out how the cursed people in the tower intend to find love. Who in the Naruto crew will among the cursed, and why? Well, you're not going to figure that out by just wondering. You'll have to read my next chapter, won't you?


	3. Ch 2: My

That's right, ladies and gents, another chapter has finally been completed! I would have finished faster, but near the end I ran out of brain food(aka: wheat crackers and Dr.Pepper). I had to finish without, but I persevered for the sake of my fans. Thanks to all those speedy reviews, I got it all wrapped up, and if the output is good, I should have another chapter up by this weekend.

But now, it's time for replies.

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**Saria19**: You absolutely rock! With this money, I can get my planetary energy siphoning device, and its satellites, out of the pawn shop and use them to take power from every major city on the globe! -cackles manically-

I think your help is definitely worth giving you Japan, and Taiwan too, just because I'm feeling generous. But in exchange, I demand that I take half of the royalties for all manga, so I can say I partly do own Naruto.

**Foxretainer:** Like I said, this is simply based off of it. I want this to be as original as a plot like this can be. To be honest, I didn't think about fielding in Haku until you mentioned him. Thanks to you, one of the pieces I was missing has now fallen into place. Thanks for your recommendation and the praise. -hands over a cookie-

**Arora HickoryEye: **Don't nitpick about the obvious. heh. Glad you're enjoying my fic thus far.

**ChibiWhaley: **You think it sounds sophisticated? -blushes and grins- I'm glad you think it does. I hope you'll enjoy the progressing chapters.

**The Gandhara: **I don't want to ruin anything yet, so I'll merely say that Kiba is not where you'd expect him to be..or you would, depending if you think on a similar wavelength to my own. And if you do, you have my condolences.

For the sake of alittle continuity, the Jounin instructors do indeed know that name, but they'll keep his background pretty much a secret. And just like you said, Kakashi is a plotter, and you'll understand his reasons abit better by the end of this chapter.

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"Blah" Normal Speak

"_Blah"_ Thought Speak

**Beauty of the Beasts**

**_Chapter 2: How I Killed My Ramen _**

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The quintet of shinobi moved through the trees at a breakneck pace, which said a great deal about their leader, since he was moving faster then the four Genin while carrying two large bags filled with groceries. Of course, that was the silent admiration of those that were following him, since no one had spoken since they began this little outing.

Sakura was quiet because she was trying to figure out how anyone could be so familiar with the Forest of Death, as demonstrated by the cyclopic Jounin. Did the Hokage actually have ninja whose primary mission was to patrol the forest? It would explain why she had never seen him before, and how he knew about the genjutsu on the gate. _"But that dosen't explain why he would be so willing bring us along. Something's not right."_ she could hear Inner Sakura screaming at the one eyed ninja, promising days upon days of torture if this was all some kind of devious trap.

Lee was in the midst of trying to unravel the mystery of the Jounin's identity, since a man of this skill would have definitely been spoken of by Gai-sensei. His wise and humble teacher was the strongest Jounin instructor in Konoha, but this one seemed to move almost as fast as he did. _"I shall have to ask Gai-sensei upon my return."_ he thought, eyes narrowing as he planned his mission after this one.

TenTen's line of thought was far simpler then the two Genin ahead of her. _"Neji better be alright, or I'll feel guilty for killing him!"_

Hinata, the one furthest back in the group, felt herself frowning as she ran. _"I hope Neji-niisan is alright."_ was all she could think, though she felt guilty that his hatred of her and the Main House was so great that he would actually come here to avoid them.

Their leader wasn't as oblivious to their various states of mental concentration as they had assumed, which was obvious when he suddenly stopped and watched them approach. "What is wrong with you kids? You all look like we're on a death march or something. It's a real downer." he says with a shake of his head, seemingly oblivious to the glares he had earned in return. With an over exaggerated sigh, he rolled his eyes to the tops of the trees and blinked. "Oh yeah. There it is." he said before suddenly leaping straight upward, the three Genin tilting the heads skyward to see where their final destination was.

To the surprise of some, a simple tree house was seemingly built in the higher branches of a tree, wrapping around the trunk in a design that could only be called 'doughnut' shaped. After a moment of taking in the wooden underside, they quickly followed the amused Jounin to the plank porch, the four teens staring at the door as if it was going to spontaneously spawn a mouth and tell them what they had gotten into. But before the entryway could attempt such a feat, a strange howl that came from inside caused them all to open the door before their guide could stop, and see something that would defy their current level of understanding.

"YAHOOO! VICTORY IS MINE, NEJI-KUUUN!" shouted someone that was seemingly bouncing all around the room, though never straying far from the scowling Hyuuga Neji and the shogi board. Unaware of the new arrivals, the exuberant mass of orange hopped down in the chair that was across from his fallen opponent, revealing a boy their age with hair that was as yellow as scarecrow hay. Unlike most ninja, who favored darker clothes because of their stealth-oriented vocation, this one was wearing an orange coat and pants that seemed as flagrantly flamboyant as the Cheshire cat grin he was toting, as though the thought of being covert had never dawned on him. Something that seemed even stranger were the small scar marks that jutted out from the corner of his mouth, which were almost lightning-shaped in their appearance. From where they were positioned, they almost looked like...whiskers?

The one they were supposed to retrieve wasn't as confused as they were, since he stood up in his seat and planted his hands on the table. "I demand another match, Naruto!" he snapped, only to be silenced when he was struck in the hitai-ate by a closed fan his opponent seemed to draw from nowhere.

With a flick of the wrist, the boy opened the fan, smirking as Neji stole a glance at the red kanji for 'king' that rested in the middle of the spread. "Now what was our arrangement, Neji-kun? I said I would teach you that jutsu of mine if you won, and you'd have to be nicer if you lost. Now, ask nicely, and I'll be more then happy to give you your second chance." he stated in a calm voice, as though he were stating something obvious to a child.

This only caused Neji's glare to harden before he forced himself to sit down. "Naruto, I would like to play another match with you." he said through gritted teeth, obviously restraining himself from leaping over that shogi board and making the blonde eat his pieces.

Seemingly placated by his forced politeness, the blonde closes his fan and grins. "That's better. Trust me, it took forever for me to learn being calm after I lost to Shikamaru all those times." his words are soon followed by his own laughter, though it's cut off when a soft cough comes from behind his audience. All six of them turn around and look at the one eyed Jounin, who has his eye crinkled shut as he waves to the blond. "Yo."

The room was dead silent for what seemed like forever, the orange-clad boy looking at the Genin spectators, his ocean blue eyes wandering from person to person, and stopping on the slightly fidgeting Hinata. His glance is soon joined in by one from Neji, though his is more of a glare that makes the other Genin wince slightly. "Umm..who is your friend, Neji-niisan?" Hinata was the first to finally speak, which surprised almost everyone in the assembled party.

Before the scowling Hyuuga could speak, he was silenced when the blonde suddenly leapt to his feet and stuck his thumb to his chest. "The name's Uzamaki Naruto, and I've been keeping your cousin company while we waited for Kakashi-sensei to come back with food." he says with a grin, motioning for them all to come in, which they all complied to. Naruto eagerly took one of the bags from the Jounin and set it in the chair he had been occupying, rifling through its contents until he came across a small styrofome cup. "Alright! You got the shrimp kind! And here's one for you too!" he grins and pulls out a second. "Let's get a bite, then we can take them back to the gate." he tosses Kakashi one of the cups and heads to another room, waiting for the slow-walking Jounin to follow before suddenly closing the door.

Sakura blinked several times, then looked at the others. "Did anyone else find that strange?" she asked, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of her head when everyone nodded in unison. "I wonder what they're doing in there."

"They're arguing." Neji stated flatly as he stared at the wall, the veins jutting out alerting everyone that he was in the midst of using his familiar bloodline limit. "I can't read Naruto's lips because his back is to the wall, and the other one is wearing that mask." he admitted with an expression of slight irritation, wanting to know what turned that jovial fool so angry so quickly.

"I think I can make a similar rendition for you." TenTen states in a nonchalant manner, waiting for Neji to release his byakugan and turn to face her before she drew her kodachi and thrust it forward, stopping just as the tip of the blade rested between his eyes, and scaring the living daylights out of Sakura and Hinata. "What the hell is wrong you, Neji-san? Skipping our training session is inconsiderate and rude, and you should have at least told me and Lee where you were going before going off on your own! And into the Forest of Death, where you could have gotten killed! I oughta carve some common sense right into your brain!" she practically bellows, ignoring the placating pleas from her other teammate.

After a full minute of haunting silence, the unexplainable happened. "I suppose I should have thought it through more, TenTen-san." Neji says with a slight nod, his words barely above a whisper. When he looked up, he saw that everyone's jaw was hanging open. The concept that the high and mighty Hyuuga Neji would actually make something that resembled an apology was simply too much to take in. Thankfully, there was one in the group who was quick on the rebound.

"Such heartwarming words!" Lee felt the tears stream down his face as he embraced Neji, lifting the young Hyuuga out of his chair so he could make the embrace more comfortable for the both of them, even though it was only Lee that had and sort of comfort at that moment. "Truly, my friend, your newfound caring for your comrades has made you an even worthier rival for me! But do not let such feelings cloud your mind when next we battle, or else my victory will only be a hollow one!" by then, he had clasped Neji's shoulders and turned to stare into his off-white eyes as leaves floated around behind them.

Naruto blew on his cup of instant ramen as he closed the window. "Sorry about that. I left it open because of how stuffy this place can get." he chuckles and scratches the back of his head with his free hand, having surprised several people since they didn't hear him or the Jounin come back in. "Well, Neji-kun, I promise that we'll play again later. But you should go back with your friends and tell your sensei where you've been. Maybe I can meet you tomorrow afternoon for the rematch." he has that happy-go-lucky smile on his face, as though his argument moments ago had never transpired.

This fact did not go unnoticed by his former opponent, who simply nodded and looked to the others. "Let's go." he said coldly, preparing to leave until Naruto got infront of him again.

"What did I say about being nice, Neji-kun? You have to be nicer to everyone, and that includes Hinata-chan and your other friends." he points to the assembled group, though the mention of her name caused Hinata to blush and glance down at her feet. . "If you don't, I won't have that rematch with you, and I'll brag to everyone in Konoha that I neat the legendary Hyuuga genius." his grins became more conspiratorial as he spoke, trying very hard not to laugh as he saw the internal battle that was being waged inside Neji's mind. At the sound of Neji's defeated sigh, he whooped loudly and pumped his feet into the air, his grin positively infectious.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Lee was beaming his smile at the young boy, as was TenTen, though hers was more demure. Sakura was smile, though her eyes were trying obviously curious about the boy that had defeated someone as smart as Neji, despite how he acted like a total moron. Hinata was torn between looking at the blonde, her cousin, and the floor. Someone standing up for her was something she had only really seen once before, and it seemed that the universe was not without a sense of humor.

"Now, you should all head back. I think we can skip telling the Hokage all five of you came in without authorization." Naruto opened the door and casually walked out onto the makeshift porch, turning around and sighing when he saw the expressions of confusion scrawl onto four of the five Genin. "Don't tell me Kakashi-sensei used that 'deputizing' shtick with you bunch." he said with a snicker, though the heated glare he got from Sakura got him to be quiet.

The pink-haired kunoichi thrust a finger back at Kakashi, who was trying to look as innocent as he could, which meant he failed utterly. "Are you saying he lied to us? Then why on earth would he drag us into the forest if he knew that we could all get into trouble?" she growled under her breath and turned her angered expression on Kakashi, who had his attention focused on a little orange book. She grit her teeth and screamed out her anger, looking back at the others and making a gesture with her hand. "Let's get out of here, before we get as absentminded as him." those words of warning get the others to the edge of the porch, though Hinata was rather hesitant to leave.

When the others weren't looking, she looked at Naruto and smiled in a shy manner. "I…It was good seeing you again, Naruto-kun." she said with a bow, though she blushed even more when he bowed in kind. They were both unaware that the two of them bowing to one another had caught everyone's attention, Kakashi's visible eyebrow quirked in obvious curiosity. Before Lee or Neji could ruin the moment, Sakura and TenTen each put a hand over their mouths, effectively silencing them long enough for the two to complete their blushing and bowing.

"You too, Hinata-san. Oh! That reminds me!" Naruto grins and looks at Hinata, then to the other four. "To help Neji with his 'be a nicer guy' training, I want you all to call him Neji-kun. You can keep calling him niisan if you want to." he says that last part to Hinata, who stifles a giggle and nods.

But before the others could agree, Kakashi cut in. "And be sure to tell your senseis that Hatake Kakashi sends his regards. That should keep 'em off your back for awhile." he chuckles and ambles back inside, soon followed by Naruto, with the other shinobi quickly departing.

--

Back to being alone, Naruto made sure the door was closed before looking at Kakashi with a serious expression. "That was reckless, even for you, Kakashi-sensei." he says, pulling another cup of ramen out of the bag and filling it with water. "I know you were trying to help, but like I said before, it's all just a waste of time." he sits down in the chair Neji had been occupying earlier, closing his eyes and focusing his chakra into the cup, imagining its insides heating up and spinning.

The aforementioned shinobi sighed and put the groceries on the shogi board before sitting down. "You don't know that, Naruto-kun. I was just showing you your options. Jiraya has already found the forth candidate, and the invitations are ready to be delivered to their homes this evening. You may think there's only one way, but we don't." he gets to his feet and picks up his book while he walks away, wanting to be out of blast range when he throw out alittle bait. "Besides, from how chummy you acted with that cute Hyuuga girl, we may get this curse lifted by the end of the week."

The reaction was priceless. Naruto sat up alittle straighter as his cheeks suddenly began to turn red, the sudden change in his charka flow causing the cup of instant ramen to suddenly explode, sending noodles and veggies in every direction like edible shrapnel. Kakashi had been smart enough to take refuge behind a stunned Naruto, who was left sputtering and spitting out peas and flavored water while he plotted revenge.

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Longest chapter to date, and I couldn't be prouder. But my muse is screaming at me to get the next chapter up faster then usual, so I suggest that you all review as soon as you can!

I know this seems rather Neji/Ten-centric so far, but it's because they're the main catalyst for getting the intro off the ground. From here on out, the chapters should have more input from the other characters, and sometimes most of a chapter will be donated to them. But that won't be the case with the next chappy, when we hear about the details of the invitations Kakashi mentioned, and find out who the last candidate is.

For what, you ask? And hows does Hinata know Naruto, you wonder?

You'll just have to wait and see. Be sure to review, everyone!


	4. Ch 3: Heart

Yeah, I know it's been awhile since I posted up another addition, but I sorta hit a brain block about halfway through. Sorry for the wait, oh loyal readers. In order to make up for it, this chapter is even longer then the last. With how I'm going, they'll probably just grow longer and longer with each new chapter. As though I should complain. But what I should complain about is the lack of reviews on my last chapter. I would like at least five or six reviews for this one.

If you don't, expect me to start crying and going into Gai-Mode. Fear my innovative speeches and various poses!

As always, I don't own Naruto or any of the characters therein. I'm just a poor guy that's plotting various schemes of world domination for the sake of attention. And when I can get my death ray to work with Windows, I will TAKE OVER THE WORLD!

---------

"Blah" Normal Speak

"_Blah"_ Thought Speak

**Beauty of the Beasts**

**_Chapter 3: Heart Throbs and Throbbing Headaches _**

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Five almost unintelligible figures ran from tree branch to tree branch, two of them in the midst of thought. Neji seemed to have his thinking scowl on as he stared straight ahead, which was enough to keep TenTen or Lee from attempting to pry anything out of him just yet. Hinata's expression was resembling a woman who was somehow about to start crying, though this was overlooked since this was how she normally appeared. Of course, her pink-haired teammate lacked the tact of Neji's, so she decided to break the almost stifling silence when they decided to have a break halfway to the gate.

"Okay, Hinata, I wanna know where you know that kid from." Sakura practically demanded as she glared at her blushing friend, smirking when she saw her press her fingers together out of nervous habit. "From how friendly you were acting with him, you've both met before. So spill!" she knew the others were wondering the same thing that she was, but it seemed that she was the only one that had the courage to make the inquiry.

Hinata's gaze flickered from person to person, silently hoping that one of them would come to her rescue and keep her from telling them about it. But from the varying expressions of obvious curiosity, it seemed that being saved was out of the question. She turned her pearl-colored eyes to the ground and shuffled her feet from side to side before she sighed in unconscious resignation and nodded before looking back at the group. "It was when I was nine years old…"

-(Flashback)-

A younger Hinata sniffled as she walked away from the glittering lights of the carnival, tears still running down her cheeks after another of her father's verbal lashings about not being suitable as the heir to the Hyuuga House. She wanted to run, but the white kimono with pink flower decorations restricted her movements to a saddened shuffle.

Before she even realized it, her aimless wandering had brought her to a small bridge, and to a young boy sitting on the railing. His expression was unreadable as he stared up at the full moon that hung overhead, his blonde hair catching the moonlight and giving him an almost ethereal appearance. Even the way his open orange coat fluttered in the wind seemed otherworldly to her, leaving the girl unaware that she was staring at him until he turned his head to stare at her, his eyes as blue as the ocean, and seemingly deeper then that.

"Why are you crying?" he asked before he pushed himself off the rail and began to walk toward her. It was then that she noticed the strange looking marks on his cheeks, as though it was a sign he was some sort of animal in a previous life, which made him even harder to look away from.

Hinata blinked and began to rub at her eyes with the sleeve of her kimono, trying not to look so pathetic around a total stranger. "I-I-I wasn't crying." she muttered, blinking several times in order to be sure that she managed to cut short her lamenting.

The boy's face suddenly scrunched in an expression of deep thinking, though the small twitch in the corner of his lip made it seem that such a strain was doing more harm then good. Hinata couldn't stifle the giggle that suddenly escaped her lips, her cheeks flushing as she brought her hands over her lips. The blonde's face immediately snapped back to normal, a wide grin scrawling itself on his lips as he looked at her. "That's alot better. You really should smile more. It makes you look pretty." he glanced at the moon again, unaware of the deep blush that Hinata had grown. Looking back at her, he scratched the side of his head and tilted his cranium in the direction of his hand, another thought passing through his mind that he thought was worth inquiring. "Why are you here instead of at the carnival?"

That put the brakes on Hinata's improving mood, looking rather crestfallen as she frowns and looks at the floorboards of the bridge. "M-My father said t-t-that I'm not a worthy heir to the Hyuuga name." she sniffled in an attempt to fight back her tears, deciding a change in the direction of the conversation was in order. "Why aren't you having fun at the festival?"

The boy was silent for a moment before he casually shrugged, bringing both of his arms behind his head as he grinned. "I was for alittle while, but abunch of people don't want me around, so I figured I'd stay out of trouble and just watch from here." the grin remained plastered on his face as he spoke, though Hinata could see that something about it seemed wrong, as though it was a puzzle that was missing a piece. Such a thing could also have been said for his eyes, though she couldn't put what she thought into proper words.

"That dosen't sound like any fun to me." she says, her voice barely above a whisper as she glances at the ground, sure that her comment had somehow offended the boy who she hadn't even introduced herself to yet. But before she could sink further into self-contempt, she found herself staring down into the eyes of a green stuffed frog. "Froggy-san and I don't want to see you cry again." he stated, nuzzling her chin with the stuffed animal as he slowly brought her pearl-colored eyes back to look at him, the smile on his face a genuine one. She couldn't help but smile right back at him, which caused his grin to span from ear to ear.

He nodded in satisfaction and turned around when he heard a voice call out to him from the other side of the bridge. Hinata tilted her head to the side and saw it was some old man, since his hair was stark white, staggering away from the festival and motioning him over with a drunken wave of his hand. The blond sighed and shook his head before turning and looking back at Hinata, his smile having ebbed. "I'm afraid I've gotta go, but I think Froggy-san would be happier with you then me." he holds the stuffed animal out for her to take.

The dark haired ninja in training blinked and regretfully took the little creature from his hands, wanting to have spent more time with its owner then this. "Will I see you again?"

The boy tapped his chin and shrugged. "I don't know, but I'd like to." he smiles and pats her shoulder. "And you should be more confident in yourself. If people say you're weak, you should try and prove them wrong." he nods and jogs over to the man, waving at Hinata as the two of them make their way down the street and into the shadows.

-(End Flashback)-

The dark-haired kunoichi could feel her cheeks burning by the end of her recollection, especially when she saw that Sakura and TenTen were starting to tear up at the unabashed sentimentality of her tale. Lee, on the other hand, had a bandaged forearm pressed against his eyes as he openly started to weep, babbling incoherently about the splendor of such a youthful exchange. Even Neji's usually stern and discerning glare had softened considerably, indicating that even he had been moved by how his cousin could weave such an overly-romanticized saga. She unclasped her hands and smiled at them, finally able to look them in the eyes as her posture straightened. "Let's keep going." she nodded slightly at her own words, leaping into the branches before anyone could stop her.

Neji looked over at Sakura and TenTen, nodding in silent agreement with his cousin before he joined her in bounding amidst the trees, soon followed by the rest of the group.

---

"Hatake Kakashi, you say?" Maito Gai stroked his chin in what he believed to be a thoughtful posture, glancing at his three Genin trainees. What was going to be a very long lecture was stopped dead in its tracks the moment they mentioned Kakashi. Lee and the others nodded at the semi-inquiry, though Lee was the only one to ask the question that was on all of their minds. "Who is Hatake Kakashi, sensei?"

Of course, there was a reason the other two hadn't asked.

"He, children.." he pauses and grins, his teeth glinting for seemingly no reason. "..is my arch rival!" he clenches a fist and takes a step towards the trio, the twinkle in his eye a harbinger of a fate that sometimes seemed worse then death. "He and I have been competing ever since we were Chuunin, always attempting to prove ourselves better then the other! He is one of the few shinobi in our village whose flame of manly youth actually rivals my own, and I have made it my mission to prove that my passionate strength is far greater then his!" they could practically see the blistering inferno in his eyes.

Just as the instructor took a deep breath, preparing for another verbal salvo, Neji surprisingly spoke up. "Then you can tell us about Uzamaki Naruto." he stated with surprising interest, in both the object of his question and how his sensei suddenly seemed to stop dead in his tracks, the bluster leaving his lungs as Gai looked right back at Neji.

"You three met Uzamaki Naruto?" Gai's voice was surprisingly stern, his features hardening so quickly it took all three of the Genin a moment to register that he was the same man when they nodded. _"If he's out and about, then it must be coming soon." _he thought to himself, the Jounin's eyes moving from student to student, and eventually resting on TenTen. The passing silence was so heavy you could cut it with a kunai, and she was fighting the urge to start fidgeting as he spoke. "The three of you are dismissed for the day. There is something I must see to." he says before turning around and heading off of the balcony, hands pressed behind his back as he found himself deep in thought over the consequences that could be on their way.

TenTen blinked and turned to look at the others, her expression just about as confused as the rest of them were. "Okay. What the hell happened?" she was trying not to yell when she spoke, but it seemed the only way she could articulate her irritation at how they were apparently lost in the dark. All Lee could do was shrug, while Neji continued staring at the door.

"_Does it have to do with that..."_ Neji's train of thought was suddenly derailed when a hand was waved infront of his face, causing him to blink turn his attention to the owner of the appendage in his space. "What is it, TenTen-san?"

Her eyes narrowed in quiet response, trying to find a way to steal into the mind of her Hyuuga teammate as those peerless white eyes stared back at her. Without warning, she smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "We can worry about it all tomorrow. As long as you promise to keep out of the woods tonight, I can actually sleep in peace." she smirks when Neji reluctantly nods, patting Lee on the shoulder as well before she took her exit out the door that her sensei had left out of afew moments ago.

Lee looked at Neji, who looked right back at him. They could both tell something wasn't right, and it was doubtful they would be allowed the chance to ponder it tomorrow. Only to voice a soft sigh, Neji got to his feet and was the next to leave the terrace, leaving Lee to sit there and try and figure out what was wrong with this sensei and this Naruto person.

He quit after quickly developing a headache.

---

It was some time after ten in the evening, and Haruno Sakura was staring at the evening sky through her window, tapping the dull end of her kunai against the table as she tried to think about how odd Kurenai-sensei had acted earlier that day. Unlike Lee and his group, Kurenai-sensei wasn't as easily sidetracked as Gai, and they were in for a long lecture about following a ninja into unknown AND forbidden territory. Like Gai, Kurenai was interested in hearing about Naturo for reasons that continued to escape the Genins' understanding. What was so interesting about that hyperactive midget? Just as she began to ponder the mystery that was Uzamaki Naruto, something pass the shadow of the moon, causing her to suddenly stand up and take up her kunai in preparation for a fight. She wasn't sure what it was, but by the time she had gone to her window and opened it, she saw the person handing something over to his father, who had opened the door and was speaking with what she now knew to be a simple messenger.

Maybe it was a call to a mission from the Hokage. Just the thought of such a possibility was why she had already opened the door to her room and was moving don the stairs, curious to hear what the message was about. What she came to find was her father and mother sitting at the dinner table, their expressions one of a harsh scowl "Mom? Dad? What's wrong?" she reached a hand as she walked towards them, only to have her father hold the letter out for her to see.

_**Miss Haruno Sakura,**_

**_Your have been selected to come to the Great Tower as our guest for the remainder of your time before the Chuunin Exam for special training. When you arrive, you will not be allowed to leave the Forest of Death without special permission from the lead instructor, so it is advised that you pack as many sets of clothes you wish. Laundering services are available at the Tower, so there is no need to bring too many outfits._**

**_Should you be concerned about the prospective missions you may miss, you will be paid as though this were an A-Rank mission. To accommodate your stay, you may select one male escort to accompany you. For further details, you and your parents will go to the Hokage's office at 8am tomorrow morning. _**

Sakura blinks and looked from the letter to her parents, a confused expression on her face. "What is this? Special training? Sounds more like a bad joke to me." she says to herself, though the grimaces on her parents' face makes her feel such isn't the case. "Do you guys know what this is about?" the initial lack of response causes a nervous knot to form in her stomach.

"It's something that happens every year." her father is the first to speak, his hand clenching and unclenching as he talks to his little girl. "Four kunoichi are picked and sent to the castle for what they call special training. It's true that they do come back stronger then when they left, but they're never allowed to actually talk about what happened there. Some think that it has to do with the curse on the tower. Others think it's because of the monster that lives there." he practically spits out the word 'monster', making Sakura unconsciously wince. Nothing about her fathers' explanation made her feel any better, though it only served to bring up more questions about what had happened earlier that day. _"Then why did that Kakashi guy lead us into the woods? Was it because he knew I was one of the selected kunoichi? And it still dosen't explain why they would have a Genin like Naruto hanging around, when he should be in a squad. But he isn't. And who are the other three kunoichi?" _she didn't have any of those answers yet, though Inner Sakura was screaming how she welcomed the idea of being stronger then any other female ninja. With any luck, Sakura hoped some of her mental inquiries would be answered tomorrow. Rather then think about it, she decided to try and reassure her parents, who looked like there were planning to try and take on the Hokage rather than let their little girl go anywhere near that Tower.

She straightened her posture and brought a smile to her lips, a fact that got her parents to turn around and face her. "Don't worry, you guys. I'm sure everything will be fine. Besides, it'd be kinda cool to go and be one of the strongest kunoichi in my class." she admitted with a giggle before heading back to her room to pack.

---

The group that had amassed themselves at the Hokage's reception area the following morning was certainly not a joyous one.

Both of Haruno Sakura's parents were standing alongside their daughter, mentally preparing their verbal armament that was going to be launched at the Hokage. Hinata could feel Neji staring at the back of her head as he stood behind her, Hiashi examing one of the kunai that TenTen's father had made. The newest arrival, Yamakazi Ino, was speaking to Sakura in quiet voices, trying to discern what on earth this mission was about. Amongst the four young women, it seemed that TenTen was the most relaxed of them all, balancing one of her kunai against the tip of her finger as both a form of meditation and practice.

Five minutes after eight, and the crowd began to grow less patient for admission into the office. And considering the anxiety that has been stewing in them since last night, it was not promising to be a good scene. Thankfully, before any of the parents beat the door down, a young woman with dark brown hair came in, several small folders in hand. When all the attention was suddenly focused on her, she blinked and looked at all the people sitting around in the waiting area. "Why didn't any of you go in?" she casually inquired as she reached for the door handle and turned it with no trouble at all, opening it…

..and greeting everyone to the sound of the Godime Hokage snoring like a freight train.

Shizune and several others had to reach out for something so they wouldn't fall flat on their faces. The Hokage's assistant sighed and shook her head as she walked in, knowing the others were following after her as she shuffled around the piles or paperwork on her desk, and quickly dropped it in the only open spot she could find with all the noise that she could make.

The Hokage snorted loudly and suddenly sat up, letting the group get a good look at their befuddled looking leader. She didn't even look in her thirty's, which lead many to believe that her youthful appearance was a kind of genjutsu. Those closer to her knew the truth behind the jutsu, but they'd rather die then divulge it. As the blonde yawned and rubbed her eyes, her already revealing choice of apparel seemed to show off even more cleavage when she pulled up her arms, challenging the virtue of every married man to keep their eyes above the neck line. Of course, Hyuuga Hiashi was considered single, though his survival instincts told him sneaking a glance would get his head removed from his shoulders. TenTen's father, who was also single, considering taking a peek, but he was sure his daughter would never forgive him for ogling her idol.

"What time is it?" she grumbled while turning to look over at Shizune, who rolled her eyes and took out her pocket watch for the Hokage's inspection. Ten minutes after 8. Tsunade rubbed her forehead, her hand resting over the diamond shaped mark on her forehead, and tried to recall again why she had taken this job. A phantasmal cry of a young boy caused her back to go straight, remembering what this meeting was about. When she drew her hand away, her expression was all business, reaching out and taking her least favorite pen before she began tapping it against the desk, using the rhythm to organize her thoughts before she spoke. "Before I get to the mission, are there any concerns your parents would like to make?"

That was just asking for trouble. All at once, several voices suddenly barraged her ears as an incoherent babble, holding up her hand to silence them before randomly pointing to one of the parents. Sakura's father nodded and stood up. "Hokage-sama, you can't be serious about this exercise. We understand why you are doing this, but that still means you are sending our daughters into the clutches of that…monster!" he said that last word out with bitter disgust, which quickly turned to fear when the pen in the Hokage's hand was crushed as though it was made out of paper. The entire arm shivered for a brief instant, though it was quelled far sooner then her glare.

For several moments, no one spoke, though Tsunade's sigh was the first noise to permeate the air. "He has given me his word that none of the girls shall be harmed, and he has never broken his promise yet." a small smile flittered over her lips before she became serious once more. "I know you are all concerned, but just like it has been for the past two years, it is primarily a training facility. If all of you will also remember, most of the children that have gone on this mission have become Chuunin by the time of the exam." she explains, a fact that certainly piqued Neji's interest. The blonde noticed the young Hyuuga lean forward slightly, now listening with rapt attention, as were several of the other Genin. Sure that the proper bait had been laid, she refocused her attention on the assorted parents. "Now, if you all excuse me, the rest of this discussion must be made alone with the Genin only." she puts on her authoritative tone, which keeps the parents from objecting as they all file into the waiting room.

When the door closed, Shizune handed the Hokage a handkerchief, which she used to clean the ink and plastic from her hand and her table. Tossing it into a wastebasket, she brushed her hands together and looked over at the children casually. "Now, what I am about to tell you is confidential. No one outside of this room knows this, and if I hear anyone else even mention this information, I will have you all stripped of your ninja rank and lobotomized before you can even blink." her voice never raised to a yell, though her voice did grow deeper and more menacing with each passing word. Hinata 'eeped' and seemed to shrink into her seat. Sakura and Ino looked positively mortified at the thought of being left a vegetable, and TenTen shuddered and gripped her kunai alittle tighter. Even Neji cringed in his chair.

With her warning given proper depth, Tsunade nodded and continued where she had left off. "For the past eleven years, there has been a curse residing in the tower that resides in the Forest of Death. It was because of a failed jutsu performed by the Sanadime Hokage, which made a normal life for those caught by the curse impossible. Another gift from the Kyuubi." she practically spits that name out, the name turning everyone's blood ice cold. Every child growing up had heard tales of the demon Kyuubi, and how it claimed the life of the Fouth Hokage in order to defeat it. Tsunade didn't go into the details of the actual curse, since they would find that out soon enough. "After several years of study, we have found that the curse is kept in place by the malice that remains from the Kyuubi, focused around a single person. No modern jutsu we have developed seems capable of combating the curse, but there is another way." she rests an elbow on the desk as she leans forward, the Genin all unconsciously doing the same. _"Actually, there are two, but I will not allow that slacker the benefit of another alternative."_ she thought to herself, though the others thought she was just being dramatic before she spoke. "It's love. Along with it being a training exercise, we are sending you to see if any of you are actually compatible with him, and hopefully break the curse."

The reaction was so loud that even Sakura's parents heard it in the other room. "WHAT! You're saying this is like some of sick dating service?" Sakura was on her feet and pointing at the Hokage like she had spontaneously grown three more heads and was singing in a barbershop quartet. Inner Sakura was even less restrained, bellowing that she was out of her mind if she thought she could get any of them to fall for some guy they've never met before. Hinata's cheeks were deep crimson as she twiddled her fingers together, wanting to completely sink into the chair now. TenTen and Ino had their jaws hanging open, and the only reaction that Neji gave was a quirk of his eyebrow.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and rose to her feet, easily dwarfing Sakura in her shadow. "This is to help members of our village, young lady. They are forced to live almost all of their lives in that tower, stigmatized for something that isn't in their control. If you called yourself a member of Kohona, you should be willing to do anything to help your fellow citizens!" she slammed the palms into the desk, causing the pillars of paper to sway precariously. The Hokage ignored it as she continued her speech. "We're not asking you to fake falling in love with him. The curse will only be broken if he finds true love. If you don't, then you will have gotten two months of training with top ranking ninja, and be compensated as though you have all been through an A-Rank mission. You will also be allowed another Genin to go along with you. Preferably someone that's actually in your squad." she sits back down and crosses her arms. "The guide will be here at noon, so I suggest you find that escort quickly. Dismissed."

Rather than argue, the Genin quintet wordlessly nod and rise to their feet before shuffling out the door, a new voice chiming in after the door closes. "You'd think they'd be more interested in going. It's like something out of a fairy tale."

"Or something out of your perverted books." she retorted and turned her attention to the shadows. "So, what do you think? Was Kakashi as right as he thought he was?"

She could tell that the owner of the voice was thinking the same thing, though he was always more vocal then she was when it came to that sort of thing. "I think so. The kid thinks this all a waste of time, but I think that he may just change his mind when he sees that Hyuuga girl again." he chuckles lightly, even managing to get a grin out of Tsunade. "My question is will this little plan of yours work? That boy may be cute, but he has the personality of a block of wood. Do you think they'll buy it?"

"As long as Naruto keeps quiet until the moment of truth, everything should go off without a hitch." she cackled at the interweaving conspiracy she had planned, which sent a shudder down the man's spine. He really hated that laugh, and it only made her laugh even more.

Of course, what her company said took some of the bluster from her sails. "You do know you just jinxed yourself by saying that, right?" he commented, which was capitalized by the tallest mound of paperwork toppled over, creating a cascade effect that left all of the neatly organized piles in a disorganized heap.

Tsunade stared at the mess, dumbfounded, then turned her glare to the shadows, only to find her cohort no longer there. "..Jiraiya.." she growled, then looked to where Shizune had been standing in the hopes of assistance with her paper plight, only to find her also gone. The closing door told the Hokage where those two cowards had gone, and she felt her migraine starting to build with a vengeance. She poured charka to her fingers and began to massage her temples, only to find that it only seemed to anger her throbbing headache.

So much for a sure thing.

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There we go, ladies and gents. Another chapter wrapped up and sent for your viewing pleasure. I'm also looking for some proofreaders for my work. If anyone's interested, please email me. And if you review, I may be more willing to consider your proposal.

Read and review, or face my INNOVATIVE WRATH!


	5. Ch 4: To

That's right, one and all, your great and noble Preventer Squall has another installment up and ready for your perusal. Expect suspense, humor, flashbacks, which I'll keep to a minimum, and best of all, dramatic speeches from both Gai AND Lee! -cackles-

Remember everyone, enjoy yourselves and read, but be sure to put your reviews up. I was ecstatic about all the positive reviews that you all gave me, and certainly hope that this chapter lives up to your praise.

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"Blah" Normal Speak

"_Blah"_ Thought Speak

**Beauty of the Beasts**

**_Chapter 4: To Each Their Own _**

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The explanation to their parents was a scattered one at best. They didn't tell about how they were also being sent in strange attempt at a matchmaking trip because of a curse from the Kyuubi. All they could really say was that they were going, regardless of their objections, and they had until noon to find a male escort that wasn't their fathers. After some grumbling from the adults, they found they had no choice but to agree.

TenTen stared at Neji's back as she marshaled her courage for what she was planning to do. Of all the people she could think of, his name was at the top of that list. She would have even impressed Hinata by how she was blushing as she slowly inched forward, her lips quivering as she tried to force words out of them.

"Neji."

She blinked, wondering how she said that without fully opening her mouth. Before she could think about why her voice sounded so deep, Neji turned around and stared right at her, causing her to flush as she decided to just spit out her request. Knowing the Hyuuga genius, he would only understand her intentions if she stated them point blank.

"I want you to escort Hinata on this Tower."

She blinked again, her mouth clamping shut so fast that it audibly 'snapped' when her lower jaw connected with the upper. She knew that wasn't what she was wanting, and THAT definitely wasn't her voice. It was then that she realized that Neji wasn't staring at her, but more glaring through her to the person behind her. With a great deal of reluctance, she slowly turned around and found herself staring up into the opaque eyes that belonged to Hyuuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuuga Clan. The young girl turned back to Neji, who was trying to look defiant as he glowers at the family patriarch. She knew he would have done anything to spite the Main House, but he wanted to go to the Tower in the hopes of meeting that Naruto boy again. When TenTen saw him slowly nod, the only kind of response he would willingly give to Hiashi, she felt her heart sink about halfway to her stomach. She had been hoping he would be the one to watch over her while they were in such a dangerous place, and perhaps even tell her that he secretly…Her cheeks reddened at the prospect of what he would have told her, though now such was pretty much beyond hope.

That was, until HE came.

"Sakura-chaaan!" called out a familiar voice, the doors to the waiting room swinging open as Rock Lee steps in, hearts in his eyes as he leapt in the air and pretty much attempted a flying tackle on the pink haired kunoichi. Out of pure reaction, TenTen reached into her sleeve and then lashed out her hand with expert timing, sending Lee to the floor after he was smacked in the skull by TenTen's halisen. At the sight of the familiar disciplinary method, Neji felt himself wince everso slightly, silently pleased he had hadn't warranted such treatment…recently.

"For kami's sake, Lee. She just got out of a meeting with the Hokage. You could at least pretend you have some restraint." the brunette ninja snapped in obvious irritation. But as she stared out down at Lee, who was finally starting to regain feeling in his teeth, an idea struck her. "Come with me. I'll tell you about what happened." she grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him to one of the corners of the room, immune to her teammates crying as he whined about how she was suppressing his manly youth by keeping him away from his Sakura-chan.

It was in the corner that Lee was given the lowdown about what had transpired in the office, minus the sensitive details, and was forced to be struck down again when he declared he would offer his body as Sakura's shield.

"If you keep that up, she'll probably use that Restraining Order jutsu she's been working on!" Of course, TenTen didn't think there was such a jutsu, but it was enough to keep Lee from pouncing the poor girl again. "Besides, I need an escort too."

Lee tilted his head to the side, his expressive gaze showing her how confused he was. "Why don't you ask Neji? I figured he'd want to take the job." he states it as though such a thing should be completely obvious, though he cringed when he saw her raise that paper fan of hers again.

Thankfully, for him, she sighed and lowered the fan. "He's been ordered to escort his cousin." she said, unable to hide the tinge of dejection in her voice. Her eyes slowly began to fall towards the ground, until a hand clasped her shoulder. She blinked and looked at Lee, who had tears streaming from his eyes. _"Oh no. I think he's about to go off."_

Unfortunately, she was right.

"That's horrible! How can any man wish to stifle something as pure and wonderful as love? As a champion of honor and virtue, I shall make right this decision with my own two hands and my beautifully passionate youth!" Lee declared loudly, having gotten everyone's attention by around 'That'. TenTen felt everyone's eyes on them, her face having turned red enough to turn a tomato green with envy, and decided to keep him from saying more by hitting him several times in the head with her halisen.

"Baka." she muttered under her breath, grabbing him by his shoulder and being sure he was properly stable and standing upright. "Okay. You're my escort. Now let's go get you packed, and maybe find more in your closet then that hideous leotard you wear all the time." she practically dragged Lee out the door, too occupied with keeping the Green Geek of Konoha in check to notice that Neji was watching her.

-

With two people having already found their escorts, and Sakura on her way to fetch Shino for her accompaniment, Ino was trying to debate which of her teammates she would want to have with her to a place like the Tower. Between the two of them, she knew there was only one she wanted to go with, hence why she was knocking on the door of the Akimichi residence. She had to crane her head up to look at Choji's father, who towered over her by at least a foot. "Good morning, Akimichi-san. Is Choji home?" she asked with the utmost politeness, smiling as he the behemoth of a man nodded and motioned for her to come inside.

"_Of course. At breakfast."_ she mentally rolled her eyes as she saw him sitting at a table in the kitchen, surrounded by his five younger brothers and sisters, and chowing down on his pancakes without a care in the world. Asuma-sensei did give them today off after she received some letter from a masked messenger, and now she was sure that the letter had involved her participation in this little outing they were being ordered to go on by the Hokage. Before she could continue her mental tirade about this being a waste of her time, she heard her stomach growl loudly at the smell of all that food. _"I knew I shouldn't have gone on that diet."_ she put a hand to her stomach and smiled sheepishly, the noise having not gone unheard in the house.

Choji looked up from his sausages and smiled broadly at Ino. It wasn't often that she came by his house, probably because she'd always filch on her diet while she was there. "Hey Ino. What brings you by? Want to have something to eat?" he held up a bowl of steaming dumplings for her perusal, trying not to laugh as she visibly fought back the urge to start drooling over them. His mother made the best dumplings in the entire village, and she knew it.

Ino licked her lips and reached out for the bowl, then blinked and drew her hand back as though one of the dumplings had just bitten her. "In a second. I have to talk with you about something." she sets herself in a chair that Choji's father had set for her, trying to keep the myriad of delicious smells from clouding her mind. She only half succeeded. "It's about a lettuce I got yesterday." she says, not even correcting her switch of 'letter' to 'lettuce' as she pulled out the aforementioned letter and handed it to her teammate for his perusal. "I've been asked to go on a special miso for two months at the Tower in the Forest of Dumplings, and I get to ask someone to come with me. I want that person to be you." she finally surrenders and just takes the plate of miso soup that was offered to her, as well as several dumplings before she started eating, deciding that she could ignore the restrictions of her diet for alittle while.

Choji couldn't help but snicker at how she mixed her words with some Freudian Slips, though he wasn't actually sure which hidden village this Sigmund Freud was from. But when she mentioned taking him on the long trip, he scratched the side of his head and sipped his juice to make sure his voice was clean when he spoke. "Me? What about Kiba? I think he would appreciate the training more." he says with a shrug of his shoulders when he saw her glare at the prospect of taking Kiba and his dog along with her. He never could understand why she didn't like him. He was alittle rough around the edges, but give him or Akamaru some of your bento, and you've made a friend for life.

"That idiot? As if I'd waste the time bringing him and that mutt of his!" she snapped between bites, apparently having adopted part of the Akimichi eating habits and was now in the midst of a chopstick battle with Choji's younger sister. It seemed she hadn't forgiven Akamaru for having gotten dog fur all over her favorite dresses. Or did Kiba do that? Either way, she blamed them both for it.

"What idiot?" snapped a voice that came from the other room. The growl in the voice, accompanied by a sharp bark, was enough to bring Ino's attention to the young man that had poked his head into the kitchen. Kiba leaned against the door frame and looked from Choji to Ino, Akamaru resting on his shoulder and barking at the two of them.

Before Ino could explode all over them, her chubby team member sighed and waved a hand over at Kiba. "Since we had the day off, I invited him to eat breakfast with us." he hoped that would placate her. "I invited you too, remember?" he could tell that she hadn't remembered, since her expression softened slightly. It meant she wasn't going to try and take Kiba's head off, and he was going to be saved a lecture.

After explaining the plan to Kiba, Ino looked over at Choji and got to her feet, pointing to the stairs after regaining her authoritative glare. "It's decided that Choji's going with me, so go and get packed!"

"Hey! What about me? I wanna go too!" Kiba snapped as he stormed over to Ino, trying to glare her into submission. As usual, it didn't work, especially when the blonde grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him nose to nose with her, causing Akamaru to whimper and press his furry head against his master's furry jacket.

Ino's eyes narrowed to a sneer as she tightened her grip on Kiba's jacket. "Look, you flea motel, if I wanted to take someone with me that would shed all over my favorite dress AGAIN, I'd look you two up." she gave him a quick shake when she shouted, unphased by how his dog managed to cower inside his coat. "But this is important business, and I don't have time to waste! Choji, get…." she blinked and looked to where her other teammate had been, letting go of Kiba as they two of them looked around for their rotund compatriot. "Where'd he go?"

"I believe Cho-kun went to his room." commented his youngest sister Misaki, her blonde hair tied in two large pigtails. Ino and Kiba blinked and looked at the stairwell, then at eachother, and shrugged. "Well, that settles that." Ino said bluntly, checking the clock on the wall. Two hours left.

Time for brunch!

-

The two remaining hours passed in a surprising blur. Bags were packed. Goodbyes were said, though the only ones Hinata had received were from the servants. There was also a great deal of arguing between Ino and Kiba about how he lacked the chance to participate in the exodus. But when Ino promised she would possess him while he slept and turn Akamaru into a fanny pack if he pissed her off any further, he decided that he would let her have her way this one time.

Without their parents this time around, the three Genin teams sat in the Hokage's waiting room, the three Jounin instructors waited beside the Hokage's door, watching their charges like hawks. The silence was tense, as though they were waiting on their own execution, when Asuma broke the silence. "Who's supposed to be coming anyway?"

The other two instructors looked at one another, then shrugged slightly. "I believe I heard that Kakashi was the one they had picked." Kurenai said, blanching slightly as she checked the watch on the wall. Rather than let Gai break into another of his inane rants, the other two Jounin shot him a glare as he opened his mouth, forcing the taijutsu expert to slowly close his mouth and twiddle his thumbs in an attempt to look innocent.

"That means we're going to be here awhile. Should one of us get some takeout?" Asuma smirked slightly as he half-joked. Even though Kakashi was an exceptional shinobi, he didn't seem to understand the concept of linear time like the rest of them, and had a habit of being chronically late. This meant that you shouldn't be eager to go anywhere anytime soon.

As they prepared for a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who got the ramen, which was actually Gai's idea, the doors to the waiting room from the main hallway lazily swung open as a silver haired ninja stepped through the doors, his open eye looking at the orange book he carried in his hand while he held the other up in greeting. "Yo." he said casually, looking up from his Make-Out Paradise, Thanksgiving Special Edition, at the collection of students and teachers. "Sorry I'm late, everyone. There was this little old woman I came across that needed to get all ten of her cats out of a tree." the crinkle in his visible eye telling them all that was a bold faced lie.

"Actually, Kakashi-san, you're right on time." Asuma stated as he leaned back against the wall, trying not to laugh at the surprised expression on the masked ninja's face. He looked like Gai had just walked up to him and struck him with a dead fish and asked him to tango. Even Kurenai couldn't help but snicker at how flabbergasted he looked.

Gai, ever the master of tact, leapt forward and patted Kakashi on the shoulder. "That is excellent news, my rival! You knew the importance of this mission, and you actually had the personal fortitude to arrive at the destination in an expedient manner. You never cease to surprise and amaze me, which is one of many reasons why I consider you such a worthy foe!" he laughed and grinned broadly, his teeth glinting in the fluorescent light. He didn't notice the shudder that came from the cyclopic Jounin, but he did hear the younger voice that seemed to come from behind him.

"Him, on time? I told him that we had to be here at ten." a young boy in an orange jacket walks around this creepy display of male affection and waved at the assembled group. Naruto ignored the mock pout his traveling partner, though he found it harder to pay no attention to the analytical glares from the three instructors. They were studying him, trying to see past the veneer of what looked like a grinning young man that was walking up to the Hokage's door and knocking on it rather loudly. "Hey, Tsunade-ba-chan! We're here, so wake up!" he shouted loudly, everyone around him sure that the boy had some sort of death wish.

Even Kakashi sighed and placed a hand to his forehead, shaking his head at the lack of respect directed at one of the most powerful ninja in Konoha. _"One of these days, kid, she's going to do more then give you a love tap."_ he thought to himself, splaying his fingers apart so he could see the reactions of everyone else.

The other Jounin looked mortified at Naruto's actions, Kurenai and Asuma inching away from the doors in order to escape some of her wrath, while Gai stammered in an attempt to find some sort of disciplinary speech that could properly relay the magnitude of what the boy had just done. Sakura felt her jaw just hanging open as she found herself in a state of total shock. Even Inner Sakura was stunned by the utter lack of respect shown to the leader of their village, but recovered soon enough to begin ranting at the blonde idiot about how he needed to show the proper reverence for the Hokage.

Hinata and TenTen seemed to have reacted better then Ino, whose eyes were as wide a saucers and was just sitting there as though Naruto had just walked up to her and smacked her in the face with a dead fish before asking her to tango. Hinata flushed red and seemed to sink into her jacket like a turtle into its shell, her index fingers pressing against one another as she debated weather to completely hide in her coat and wait until the carnage was over or try and watch the savage beating that was about to commence. TenTen just blinked and dropped the kunai she had been fiddling with, wondering if Naruto was the bravest boy she had ever met, or the most idiotic.

Kiba and Choji, on the other hand, were sure that this kid was a total idiot. How suicidal would you have to be to do something like that? It was like jumping into a vat of steak sauce, buck naked, and throwing yourself into a kennel full of starving dogs. The only visible reaction that Shino gave was a slow quirking of an eye, the insect master trying to figure out how familiar this boy was with the Hokage to A)call her by her name rather then her title, B)yell at her like that, and C)know she was asleep. Of course, Neji had tried to discern that earlier with his Byakugan, but found that her office had special seals on it which prevented such observational tactics. He found himself even more fascinated with this Uzamaki Naruto then he was before, which was a surprisingly high compliment in the eyes of many.

What most interested him was how the Hokage was going to react to the rude interruption, which was answered when one of the doors erupted on its hinges and fell right on Naruto, earning a startled squawk from the blonde before he was sandwiched between the floor and the oak door, which was being kept in place by Tsunade's foot.

"And I hope that teaches you a lesson this time, runt! Don't you ever call me that again!" her voice practically boomed when she spoke, a vicious grin on her lips as she pressed the ornate door further onto the boy. She loved him, she really did. But that didn't mean he didn't earn a periodical ass-kicking for when he decided to act smart-assed with her. "If you must call me something, perhaps Tsunade-hime. Yes, I rather like the sound of that. Or maybe even Hokage-hime!" she placed the back of her hand over her mouth as she giggled in what was meant to be a teasing way, but merely served to send a shudder of fear through everyone's spine.

Except for Naruto, who was trying to keep the doorknob out of his pancreas. "More like Hokage-baka." he muttered to himself, snickering from underneath the door.

Unfortunately, Tsunade's superior hearing managed to pick up that little remark and moved her foot up to the hooked doorknob, pulling up with her superhuman strength and sending the heavy barricade into the air while she leaned down and picked Naruto up by his cheeks, stretching them as far as she could while the boy tried to escape her iron-clad grip. "What was that you said, Naruto-kun?" she said sweetly as she leaned in to look him in the eyes, that sickeningly pleasant tone in her voice promising a great deal of physical harm if he answered her honestly.

"…wes, Phokage….pime?"

She practically squealed and released his cheeks before pulling him into a spine breaking hug. "There. Was that hard at all, Naruto-kun?" she said before releasing the blushing boy and watched him rub his sore cheeks. "Now, I want you and Kakashi to take these kids directly to the Tower. No sidetrips, especially you." she turns her now authoritative stare at Kakashi, who holds up his hands in a warding gesture, then looks back at Naruto. "Remember, only stop at the specific locations, and don't stop for more then an hour or so. I will be making a call there in two days, and if you're not there, I will skin the both of you and use your pelts as floormats!" she warned, watching Naruto gulp and look around at the assembled Jounin instructors. Her glare softened for a moment when she saw him quickly turn his gaze away from Asuma, then marched back toward Kakashi. _"Kid still hasn't forgiven himself, I see."_ she shook her head and stood up, resting her hands on her hips and looking around at all the lesser shinobi. "You eight, line up and dismiss with Naruto and Kakashi. The rest of you are considered on paid vacation, and can do as you see fit." something glinted in her eye for a moment, the three Jounin looking at one another, then back at her as she looked up at the door that had imbedded itself in the ceiling. "And get me the janitor. He needs to fix that." she turned and casually walked back into her office through the missing door, ignoring the man that was leaning against the other door and writing something into the pad he constantly kept with him.

When she saw the last of the shinobi leave her waiting room, she turned her eyes to (Jiraya) as she sat infront of her desk. "Are all the preparations made?"

"Yep. Their rooms are all set up with two to a room. And I finished switching Naruto's room with Sasuke's, so no one will be the wiser."

She nodded and clasped her fingers together, smirking everso slightly. Rather that verbally speak her feelings of confidence, and risk the chance of destabilizing the delicate balance of the paperwork pillars that surrounded her, she simply smirked more.

Which caused the papers to fall over anyway.

-

"Alright everyone! Let's get this trip on the move!" Naruto shouted as he pumped his fist in the air, a wide grin on his lips as he turned towards the Forest of Death and began to march. He seemed unconcerned by the looks or irritation he was given, or the bags that he had been forced to lug around, since they were finally going back to the Tower. He knew Kakashi enjoyed being around here, but it really was too much for him. All these people, all of whom whispered to one another when he passed by, made him really uncomfortable. He just wanted to get back to the place he called home, and hopefully get this waste of time finished as soon as possible.

"You all go ahead without me. I have something important to get to." Kakashi waved at the young Genin and disappeared in a puff of smoke, which caused Naruto to swear and jump up and down in irritation at that flake of a Jounin. With a small damper on his mood, he motioned for the others to follow after him, drawing out his own special key and unlocking the gate.

Those who hadn't seen the genjutsu door trick before stood there in utter amazement. Sakura, on the other hand, was stunned about how they would give one of those keys to a rookie ninja like Naruto. "Why in the hell would they give a baka like you a key to the Forest of Death?" she shouted, waving a fist at him as Inner Sakura did the threatening.

"Because I live here." he stated in a 'that's sorta obvious' tone, seemingly unphased by the looks of shock that was on everyone's face.

"_Well, that explains the strange charka paths."_ Neji thought to himself, thinking about the curse that was supposedly on the people there. From what he could tell, it seemed that Naruto's pathways were stronger then normal, charged in the kind of way that comes from a person when they were using a jutsu. Was Naruto using a jutsu to keep others from finding out what the curse was? That kind of thinking made him break down the kind of techniques that could do that. It seemed possible to be some form of genjutsu, though he never did any signs when other people approached. Perhaps a henge? They were easier to use, since they expended little charka in the process. He tapped his chin as he leapt into the trees and followed after his fellow shinobi. "_If he was constantly expending charka to maintain it, he must have an exceptional amount. This bears further investigation."_

The others were less analytical about it. Their expressions ranged from blatant shock and dropped jaws to a wisp of an eyebrow that ratcheted over a pair of sunglasses and near slips on various tree branches. Their guide went silent as they made their way through the forest, passing the tree house the Genin had stayed at the first time they had entered the woods. They didn't stop until crimson streams of light peeked out from the dense foliage canopy, their diminutive guide having used one of the tree branches to catapult himself further skyward, the other Genin bounding off of several trees and limbs in order to follow him to the fort that looked exactly the same as the one that he and Neji were found at last time.

By the time Sakura and the others arrived, Naruto was twirling the key between his fingers as he lazily leaned against the door frame, apparently a habit he had gained from spending too much time with Kakashi. "We can rest here awhile." he said flatly, his expression surprisingly unreadable as he slipped outside, the bags he had been forced to carry were resting around the table. The eight Genin wordlessly filed in, groaning amongst one another and stretching their tired muscles. Rather then try and find a bed to crash on, Hinata and the other young kunoichi sat down around the large table, as did Choji and Lee, the latter having situated himself beside Sakura before talking about how he had more then enough energy thanks to his youthful vigor.

"Shut up, Lee." TenTen muttered, though her voice was muffled because she was resting her hitai-ate clad forehead on the table. She let her eyes wander around at the group that was there, noticing that Neji had moved to the side of the room that was farthest from Hinata. She sighed and rolled her chocolate brown eyes, forcing herself to her feet and walking over to her teammate, who was staring out a window at the darkening scenery outside. "What's on your mind, Neji-kun?" she still found it hard to call him that. He never objected to it, even if Lee called him that, but it was still something she was going to have to get used to.

He blinked and turned his gaze to her, his eyes the color of flawless pearls that focused on her, and her alone. The Hyuuga prodigy noticed her shiver everso slightly, though he attributed it to the fact that they had done all that running that day, and her feet were somewhat sore. He could understand, since his feet were in similar condition. "This place is the exact same as the other." his eyes narrowed slightly, finally noticing that their guide was not amongst them. If his assumption about the active henge was correct, it was plausible he was using the time away to remove the jutsu from himself.

TenTen misinterpreted this observation as Neji not having liked the last time that he had come across Uzamaki Naruto. "What happened then? You never did tell us about it." she couldn't help the tinge of concern in her words, which Neji did not miss either.

He was silent for several moments, then sighed and nodded, willing to tell her what had transpired.

-(Flashback)-

Neji grumbled softly as he was drudged back into the conscious realm, wearily opening his eyes so he could survey his surroundings. It seemed to be sparse cabin of some sort. He tried to sit up, but noticed his hands, ankles, and a large portion of his torso was tied to a chair. He mentally cursed himself for his carelessness, having managed to actually be ambushed by someone that had actually found the Byakugan blind spot. That raised too many questions, and no answers were exactly forthcoming at the moment.

"I was wondering when you'd come to." chimed a voice from behind him, a young boy in an orange jacket walking into Neji's field of view with a square wooden board balanced on his head. The boy seemed actually amused at the glare that he was being given by his captive, grinning as he set the board down infront of Neji and drawing out a pouch full of what he imagined to be the pieces.

Aside from the boy's garish choice of ninja attire, something else that drew his attention was the polished hitai-ate that had the lean insignia imbedded in it. _"That means I'm still in Konoha, unless this is some sort of ruse."_ he continued glaring at the boy that had casually sat down across from Neji, propping his feet on the table without a care in the world.

"The name's Uzamaki Naruto. If I had to guess, you're a Hyuuga." he said with a grin, having obviously discerned at least the family because of his unusual eyes. Naruto tapped his chin and thought about something, seemingly unconcerned by Neji, who was trying to reach for his kunai or his shiruken, only to find they were on a counter on the other side of the room. "I think I met a Hyuuga when I was younger, or maybe I was imagining it."

Neji snorted and rolled his eyes. "If you're imagining meeting people, then you need mental help." he said with venom in his tone, which seemingly bounced off Naruto without dampening his spirit. It actually seemed to push him further.

"Heh. You may be right. But that means you got sucker punched by a looney Genin. What does that say about you?" he chuckled and grinned even more, enjoying how his captive was actually trying to simply break free of the ropes and get at the irritating kid infront of him. "How about I let you loose, in exchange for your name, so we can play a game of shogi?"

Those words made Neji all the more adamant to get free and cause some sort of harm to that smug looking cretin. After several moments he sighed, looked at the table, and then back to Naruto. "Hyuuga Neji."

Naruto's soft blue eyes widened to the size of saucers. "You're kidding me? I managed to actually bag the big Hyuuga genius?" he seemed rather stunned at this, while Neji was trying to decide if he should be proud of being so well known, or annoyed that he had been captured so easily.

When Naruto fell out of his chair laughing, clutching his sides and rolling around on the ground, Neji felt his cheeks start to flush in a mix of embarrassment and anger.

"Sorry about tying you up and all. It's part of the procedure for people who trespass in the woods." Naruto said after two solid minutes of laughing, his cheeks still flushed as he pulled out a kunai and used it to cut Neji's rope. Actually turning his back to his former prisoner, he managed to drag himself back to his chair, all the while snickering as he did so.

Neji looked at where his pouch of weapons were laying, then back to Naruto as he began setting up the pieces of the game. While he wanted to play 'pin the buffoon' with this radiant specimen, he had agreed to playing a game of shogi. He intended to beat him in that, then beat him physically for having dealt him such embarrassment.

Surprisingly, he had actually lost track of time while playing against Naruto. For all of his brilliance, it seemed that his opponent was rather clever as well. At the moment, though, the tide was turning in Neji's favor, and he smirked everso slightly.

"Do all of you Hyuuga smirk like that?" Naruto asked out of nowhere as he sat in a thinking pose, rubbing his index finger over his chin as he tried to find a way out of his current situation.

The young Hyuuga associated it with him trying to stall for time, trying to break his train of thought. He didn't intend to initially answer him, but he decided that he could toy with his prey before he finished it off. "No. Some of us are spineless cowards, like my younger cousin."

Naruto blinked and turned his attention to his opponent, his expression betraying how truly bewildered he was by such words. How could a person say such a thing about their own family? "What problem do you have with your cousin? Did they do something bad to you?" he tilted his head to the side, sparing a glance at the table before moving one of his pieces forward. He had been thinking about that one long enough.

The initial response was an indignant snort. "She dosen't have the strength do to anything to me. I don't think that a weakling like her dosen't have any place in the Hyuuga at all." he snapped, his anger obvious as he glared down at the board, taking another piece forward.

"Well, maybe she needs someone like the Hyuuga genius to help her out."

"No!" Neji turned his head to look at the bewildered Naruto with a piercing glare, obviously disgusted with the idea of taking her under his wing. "I won't waste my time on an inferior like her from the Main House. She's easily cowed and constantly cowering before others! I'd rather see her dead then try and make the cow as strong as me!"

The next part that transpired was still difficult for Neji to recall.

All he remembered was an orange blur, and he suddenly found himself flat on his back with a kunai pressed against his throat, staring up into Naruto's eyes. He knew they were originally a deep and pure blue, the kind of blue that all others aspire to be. Now, they were a startling crimson, like blood on newfallen snow, and glistening with murderous intent. A deep throated growl resonated throughout the room, which caused even Neji's blood to turn cold. "How could you sit there and talk about letting one of your own family die? What kind of bastard are you?" he sneered, suddenly pulling himself off Neji and getting to his feet.

It seemed that Gai's comments about a persons flame kindling another's held true afterall, since Neji found himself practically furious as he stood and pulled off his hitai-ate, showing him the tattoo that was in the dead center of his forehead. "How dare you think you can lecture me! You have no idea what I've had to live through, branded forever because I'm in the Branch House, and forced to be nothing but their servant! What do you know about anything?" he nearly bellowed, his gaze so full of fury that he wanted to lunge over and take those eyes right of Naruto's head.

That was, of course, until he started laughing. "That piss ant thing is what's got you so pissed off? Let me show you one better." he said as he unzipped his coat and threw it aside, then pulled up his shirt. What was there deflated Neji's rage in an instant.

From just the initial look at it, it was a spiral design that went out from his naval, with several large kanji painted on the outside of it. _"That's what the spiral in his stomach was?"_ Neji thought to himself, having seen it in Naruto's charka circulatory system when he scanned with his Byakugan while his back had been turned. Whatever it was, something about it sent a shudder of fear down Neji's spine.

"Yeah, your life sucks! Poor you! But you at least get a family, to have people care about you! I'm rarely even allowed to leave the forest because of this! Somebody's always got it worse then you, so you should shut your goddamned mouth and be grateful to kami-sama for what you've got!" Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his eyes having resumed their familiar blue color as he pulled down his shirt and went to retrieve his coat before returning to the shogi table, soon after followed by Neji.

"…so, what's your cousin's name?" Naruto finally asked after several minutes of silence, looking at the board with an expression akin to shame on his features.

Neji looked up from the board to his opponent, then back to the pieces "Her name is Hyuuga Hinata."

Naruto nods, then crosses his arms and looks back at Neji. "I think it was your turn." he stated, though there wasn't much in the way of confidence in his voice. He couldn't really remember whose turn it was.

"It was your turn, baka." Neji said flatly, already starting to get irritated with Naruto again. Something about him just annoyed him, and now it was even moreso since he had proved he was actually right about something.

Naruto's face pulled into a thoughtful expression again as he rubbed his chin, trying to recall it. "Well, how about we make it your turn, and we make it alittle more interesting?" he put on his best impersonation of Tsunade's gambling face, a wry grin on his lips as he made his proposal.

-(End Flashback)-

"And that's when he made the bet about you being nicer?" TenTen concluded, recalling how they had arrived in time for Naruto's victory dance. When she had made that connection, she quickly realized that the entire group had finished resting up and were huddled around the two of them, listening intently to as much of the story as they could. The only thing that broke the quiet was the occasional crunch as Choji ate his potato chips.

Neji nodded slowly, sure that all of them now had questions for the blonde. He had originally assumed his eye change was a bloodline limit, like his eyes. But now, he wasn't sure what to believe about their guide, who had just stepped in from another room.

"Time to go." he grinned and picked up several bags and used his foot to open the door, heading outside and waiting for the others.

The remainder of the trip passed in silence, all of them pondering about Naruto and the curse. Was Kakashi cursed as well, or was he just weird? Knowing him, it was probably a mix of both, but that debate was for another time. Were there others? It only made sense that there were, since there was supposed to be the one that the curse was centered around.

By the time the time they arrived at the entrance to the Great Tower, the eight Genin were full of questions, as well as several wagers that had passed between various teenagers that would be disclosed as the story progresses, and were eager to get inside. Naruto drew another key out of his pocket and pressed it into the lock, which clicked loudly before swinging inward on rusted hinges. They traveled through a long and barren hallway, stopping when they came to a vast and empty room, save for what looked like a pair of arms sticking out from the walls and clasping together, and the man cloaked in shadows that was standing on one of the extended fingers.

"Geez, do you really need to act so damned overdramatic, Sasuke?" Naruto snorted and rolled his eyes. "Get your ass down here, ya wannabe goth." he brought his arms behind his head and walked away from the group, much to the chagrin of the younger Hyuuga.

The figure shook his head and leapt off of the statue, nimbly landing infront of the group. Of course, such was a trick most any shinobi could do, but it was still rather impressive, if only for superficial reasons. "As the dobe said, my name is Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke." he stated flatly, a smirk forming on his lips.

"Welcome to my home."

-----------------

HA! I bet you all were expecting it to be Naruto, weren't ya? Serves ya right for presuming to know the mind of a madman! Does that mean that our dear Naruto can't find love? Goodness no. Just means the lady that's interested in him will be the only one trying to get through that thick skull of his. For those who are Kiba fans, do not despair. I'll have him making cameos in upcoming chapters, as well as some of the teachers too.

Remember folks, your reviews matter, especially since they make me want to post all the faster. They make me feel faster -poses-, stronger -strikes another pose-, and even smart…well, not smarter. But at least two out of three is pretty good! -strikes a brand new pose-

Until next time, faithful readers, take care, and if you want partial control over the world, donations would be appreciated.


	6. Ch 5: The

That is correct, everyone! I, Preventer Squall, am not dead, and am indeed continuing this fanfic of mine. It has been awhile, so I can only atone one way..-activates Gai-Mode, and bows before all the readers-

My dear readers, you have my most utmost apologies for my slothfulness! There is no excuse for my actions, and I can only pray that you find it within your bountiful hearts that you forgive this wretched soul! Mayhaps if you had sent more of your reviews, I would have been all the swifter with my postings! After all, reviews are the sustenance that we writers thrive for! It is the meat and mead for our souls, and even if your reviews are deplorable, they would only serve to stoke the fires of my creative youth! -deactivates Gai-Mode and gets to the disclaimer-

Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters therein. Anyone who thinks I do can send me money, which will go to building my dream Doomsday Device with the intention of conquering mankind. If you ask nicely, you'll get a piece of the earth, though I'm afraid Japan and Taiwan are already spoken for. Sorry.

Anyway, on to the fic!

---------

"Blah" Normal Speak

"_Blah"_ Thought Speak, Letters

**Beauty of the Beasts**

**_Chapter 5:_** **_The Competition, and Bets that Follow_**

-----------------

Choji was the first to speak up. "Your home? Does that mean you're the one that's all cursed and that?" he said, trying to figure all of this out as he looked at the new acquaintance they had made.

The young boy had hair that was a black as a raven's wing, and seemed to stretch itself out as if it was trying to mimic a wing's appearance. His skin provided a startling contrast to his hair by how it seemed porcelain white, as though he had never gone out into the sun a day in his life. Were it not for the dirt that stained the bandages around his forearms and shins, it would have been hard to believe that he even trained. Their host was silent for several moments as he looked over each component of the party, regarding each member with an expression that bordered between uninterested boredom and outright disdain.

Sasuke nodded slightly, his lips creasing into an irritated grimace. _"Why should I have to degrade myself like this? That's the dobe's job."_ he thought to himself, displeased that he was being gawked at like a piece of meat. His contemplations soon turned to Naruto and the Hokage, thinking about various ways he could get the both of them back for this uncomfortable humiliation he was being put through.

That was, of course, until Choji grinned, turned to Lee, and eagerly held out a hand. "You all lose. Now pay up!" he says with a chuckle, ignoring the sweatdrops that formed on the spectators as Lee, TenTen, Hinata, and Neji fished through their wallets and pulled out several paper bills, placing them in the round ninja's hand. Sasuke looked over at Naruto, who just shrugged before Choji could explain. "We made a bet about Naruto being the main person with the curse. Only person who didn't join in the bet was Shino." he jerked a thumb over toward the shinobi in the absurdly large coat, whose only response was to adjust his sunglasses.

He chuckled and quickly counted over the money given to him, making sure it was the proper amount before splitting it up three ways. "Ino? Sakura? Here's your share." he turned to the aforementioned females, two small piles of paper victory awaiting their new homes.

But from the looks the two girls had on their faces, it seemed that their attention was elsewhere.

Sakura and Ino had their jaws hanging open as they openly ogled Sasuke, their eyes mapping out every inch of his body for future fantasizing, which brought a rosy tinge of pink to their cheeks. To them, he looked like some sort of god carved out of living marble, with eyes that are so deep and black that they seemed to simply pull them in without wanting to let them go. The two of them leaned toward this obvious gift to shinobi kind, their feet soon following and carrying them right in front of Sasuke.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." they said a wistful unison, their daydreams coming to a swift halt when they realized, at the same time, that they had both said the exact same thing. They turned to look at one another so quickly that their necks loudly cracked under the sudden strain, the object of their affections scooting backward when he felt the animosity that they were firing at each other.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Ino-pig? Sasuke-san can only pick one of us!" Sakura snapped, glaring daggers at her blonde counterpart.

Ino snorted and stood upright, smirking as he placed her hands on her hips. "Exactly. I was hoping to save you the humiliation of being dumped for someone obviously better then you, forehead girl." her lips twisted into a smug grin as Sakura's face reddened in anger. "Wow, your face is almost as red as your hair. Are you embarrassed because you know I'm right?" the haughty tone in her voice caused Sakura's glare to become all the sharper, as though it could cause Ino to burst into flames if Sakura did it hard enough.

It took Sakura several moments to fight down the red that clouded her vision, taking and breath and smirking as though she realized something humorous. "I'm only embarrassed that you're going to be humiliated when Sasuke realizes that he's not interested in flat chested, air-headed blondes like you." she brought a hand over her mouth as she giggled, trying to look demure about her amusement, and failing miserably.

"Flat chested! I've got a bigger bust then you, forehead girl!"

"Only in your dreams, you conceited pig!"

Before the two could start the brawl that everyone knew was going to ensue, Kakashi stepped in between them, holding a hand out infront of their faces. "Now now, ladies. As much as I would certainly like to see two cuties like you roll around on the floor and fight, I'm afraid we don't have time for that today." he let out a sigh of disappointment, though there was an amused crinkle in his eye when the two women blushed in embarrassment and turned their backs on one another. Before he could say something else, Naruto was standing in front of Choji, grinning as he and Lee handed over several paper bills. It seemed it was the blonde's turn to make some money on a bet.

Letting that slide for the time being, he shrugged and looked at the group one more time. "Well then, I suppose it's time that we let these people get settled in. Naruto, I want you to lead the boys to their room, and I'll get Haku to lead the ladies. Oh Hakuuu-chaaaan!" he said in a sing-song tone, which sent a creeped out shiver down everyone's spine.

The echo of soft footsteps soon filled the air as someone came down the nearby stairwell, a demure looking figure stepped onto the main floor. Like the others, this person had was wearing a Leaf hitai-ate, which was firmly secured to their forehead. This person had on a loose fitting brown robe that had a cream colored lining. A grey obi was around Haku's waist, with tight-fitting pants were solid black, save for the snow white wrapping around the shins and forearms. Everyone turned to look at the new arrival, several of them blushing slightly as they realized how cute Haku seemed to be. Several of the boys wondered if she was available, while two of the girls wondered if they had some competition for Sasuke's affections. "All of the rooms have been prepared, Hatake-san. If you ladies would kindly follow me, I will show you to your quarters."

But before Haku could even turn around, Lee stepped out from the group and walked up to her, blushing shyly as he tried to speak. "M-M-My name is R-Rock Lee. It is a p-pleasure to make your acquaintance!" he managed to shout the last part out before bowing to her, unaware of how Naruto and Kakashi were leaning against one another, hands over their mouths as they tried to muffle their snickers and guffaws.

Haku blinked and looked at Lee, smiling warmly at him before bowing in kind. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Lee-san." was all that was said, then looked to the young ladies. Sakura had a stunned look on her face at how Lee could just dump her like that. TenTen was wielding her halisen like was a club, prepared to irreparably maim the taijutsu expert if he continued to make an ass of himself. "If any of you are concerned with me trying to steal away Sasuke-san, do not concern yourselves. After all," Haku paused and looked at Lee, deciding to just get it out into the open. "After all, I am a man, and I believe Sasuke-san is not interested in those of the male gender."

The follow looks of abject shock and mortification that followed were simply too funny to ignore. Naruto and Kakashi had fallen on the floor from all the laughing they were doing. Even Sasuke was smirking at how even the great Hyuuga pair were caught off guard by that news. Haku merely let out an un-masculine giggle and turned away, starting up the stairwell, soon followed by the female portion of the troupe.

Lee was still where he had been when he introduced himself to Haku, too shocked for words, until Naruto placed his hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Lee. You're the fifth guy we've brought here that though Haku was a girl. At least you weren't trying to hit on him for two months." he laughed at that, patting the inside of his coat where his frog-shaped wallet rested. With any luck, the coming two months would prove a lot more profitable for him then last year had proven to be. "C'mon, guys. Time to get goin'." he waved to the others with a hand, not even looking back as he went up the stairs to the next floor.

When the others left, Sasuke stood next to Kakashi, his expression unreadable as he spoke. "Are you sure everything has been switched around? You know how the baka gets when he can't find that helmet."

Kakashi nodded slightly, recalling how Naruto practically tore his room apart to find that particular item. "Of course, Sasuke-kun. You really should learn to relax." he chuckled and ruffled the genin's hair, all the more amused when Sasuke nearly jumped away from the hand and glared at him. The silver-haired ninja merely grinned beneath his mask and walked away, soon followed by the sour-looking Uchiha. They had training to get to.

--

"This room will be for you two ladies." Haku said to Ino and Sakura, opening the door and holding it open for their inspection. The room was of a decent size, with a pair of full size beds that rested right next to one another. Between them was a small desk with a lamp on top. On the opposite side of the room rested a pair of large oak dressers. "I'm sorry that it is so spartan, but we don't use these rooms often, and didn't want there to be any excess clutter when the new arrivals come." he explains, stepping to the side in order for the two of them to look around. One of the things that also drew their attention was the massive window they had. It was almost as large as the door was, and gave a clear view of the forest around them in an almost breathtaking sight.

"I have been asked to tell you not to open the window during after the sun has set. We are still in a dangerous place, and it would embarrassing to our reputation that anyone training here was eaten by one of the larger then average reptiles or insects that reside here." Haku said with a smile, speaking so casually about their possible death that the four genin couldn't help but openly stare at him. He turned to TenTen and Hinata and motioned for them to follow him to their room, which was right next door and looked the exact same.

Sakura and Ino looked at one another, their expressions unwavering as they slowly drew back one of their hands, neither of them saying a word until this portion of the debate was completed. Their clenched fists practically blurred as they suddenly hurled their fists forward, stopping at the exact same time just a few scant inches away from one another's face. They remained that way, until a grin split Ino's lips. "I win." she looked at her hand, snipping her extended index and middle finger together like a pair of scissors.

"…shut up." was all that Sakura said as she began to withdraw her hand, which was still flat and open like a piece of paper. "Well? Stop standing there and pick your bed!" she snapped, crossing her arms and waiting for the blonde to make her choice.

Ino let out a loud 'hmmm' as she walked between the two beds, one hand resting on her hip while she tapped her chin with the other. Both beds were identical to the other, three azure blue pillows resting on top of a thick black comforter sheet, looking as though they had just recently been ironed. In this case, it wasn't about the selection. It was about rubbing salt into Sakura's wounded pride, and she just wanted to drag it out for awhile. "I suppose I could go with this one." she said after about forty-five seconds of deliberation, pressing of the beds, and watching Sakura as she stretched her patience as long as she could. She suppressed a giggle as she sat down on the bed closest to the door, but let the grin remain as she spoke. "Afterall, when Sasuke-kun realizes that it's me he loves, I wouldn't want to wake you up when he comes in to whisk me away."

Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes at Ino's overly dramatic little triage as she walked over to the remaining bed, sitting down with a loud snort. "I hate to break it to you, Ino, but you wouldn't be picked if the cure oozed out of those pock marks you call pores." she retorted, sticking her tongue out in bemused defiance when Ino shot a glare at her. The both of them gave each other one more glare before they laid back on their beds, staring at the tiled ceiling overhead, remaining that way for the better part of ten minutes before either of them spoke. "Hey, Ino. What kind of curse do you think it is?"

Ino cushioned her head on her hands, her brow furrowing as she tried to figure that quandary out. "I have no idea." was all she could manage, earning a dejected sigh from the both of them. This was going to be a long two months.

--

"And here you and Lee go, Neji-kun." Naruto couldn't fight down the smirk on his face that had formed when he saw the aforementioned Hyuuga glare at him before stepping into his new room. It was the exact same, in terms of design and decor, as the rooms the ladies were occupying. Of course, Neji and Lee were aware of the appearance ahead of time, since they saw the room the Shino and Choji were staying before their own. "Afraid we don't have mints or a turndown pillow service, so you guys will just have to make due with what you've got." the orange clad ninja says, stepping into the room while Neji and Lee inspect their beds and surroundings. "Well, you guys have fun, and I'll see ya later." he grins and brings up his hands, cradling the back of his head as he turns around and heads for the door. The old pervert will give him all kinds of hell if he got there late...again.

"What about our rematch, Naruto?" Neji couldn't help but ask, staring at the back of the blonde's head. "When we settle that matter?" he narrowed his eyes as he watched Naruto's body language. From the way he was now starting to lean back and prop his head up with his hands, he could tell he was trying to recall whatever time he intended to address the proposed question. Even Lee was watching the resident of the Forest of Death, curious to see if had as much skill as Neji seemed to think he did.

Without warning, Naruto turned around to face them, his face scrunched up as he tried to think. With an eventual grumble of defeat, he focused his attention on Neji. "I have….no idea." he said with as much seriousness as he could muster, unaware of the sweatdrops that had suddenly formed on the side of the other two genin. Naruto scratched the side of his head and looked at the duo, his face still contorted in an attempt at thought. "If you really want to play again, I suppose we could do it now." he says absently, grinning as the Hyuuga genius quickly nodded. "Great! I'll go get my board!" he spins around and jogs to the door, opening it and eagerly standing outside the door. "Hey Lee, wanna watch me whoop Neji at shogi?"

Lee rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger, letting out a loud 'hmmm' as he pondered the offer. "I thank you, Naruto, but I must decline." he smirks slightly, clenching a bandage wrapped first. "I wish to test my strength against that of Uchiha Sasuke, and see if he is a worthy rival for the affections of my beloved Sakura!" he declared, eyes practically aflame with youthful passion as he bounded out of the room, heading down a random hallway.

Naruto scratched his head and looked over to Neji, who had his hand over his face as he muttered under his breath. "Let me guess, he's just going to keep running until he finds Sasuke, right?"

Neji merely nodded, and the two of them sighed in unison before Naruto took Neji's hand. "C'mon. Let's get moving!" he said with cheer in his voice, practically dragging his white-eyed friend through the hall, going up a nearby set of stairs. True, the Ero-Sennin would really chew his ear off skipping out on training, but this seemed like a lot more fun to him.

They seemed completely unaware of the pair of peopled that poked their heads out of Choji and Shino's room, soon followed by the two men that were supposed to be occupying the said room. "I-I don't think that we should keep going, TenTen-san." Hinata murmured, pressing her fingers together while her cheeks began to redden with embarrassment. Following them had been Hinata's idea, but the poor girl didn't want to go any further now that her cousin was involved.

That, unfortunately, was what made TenTen eager to continue.

"C'mon, Hinata-chan. What's the point of starting if we weren't going to finish?" TenTen retorted, grinning while stepping around the corner and snuck after the still squabbling boys. The young Hyuuga sighed in resignation and followed suit. Shino and Choji exchanged glances before the bespectacled shinobi casually walked after them, deciding that this was worth continued observation. Choji merely shrugged and went another way, wondering where the kitchen was in this place.

--

Ten minutes, and several flights of stairs later, Naruto and Neji were standing in front of a new door. This one had a piece of paper taped to the door that had '_Naruto's Room: Knock or die!'_ written in hastily drawn kanji. "Well, let's go on in!" the blonde ninja said with a grin, reaching a hand out to the door, then pausing. He could feel Neji looking over him, but he ignored it as he quickly reached down to the door handle and quickly turned the knob.

The room they walked into was almost as sparse as the rooms that Neji and company had been forced to stay in, though there were a small set of scrolls resting in a neat pile next to the dresser. A pile of his dirty clothes rested in the corner of his room, mostly orange and blue shirts and pants. Another corner had a small work desk, that had a lamp and an open scroll, which had nothing written on it, as well as a several additional pouches for shiruken and kunai.

Only two things really seemed to stick out in the room. The first was a battered and age worn helmet that rested on top of the shogi board that was on his dresser, its lack of adornment making Neji believe it belonged to a shinobi. The second, of all things, was a mirror that rested on the closet door. It wasn't the fact that Naruto had a mirror that intrigued his guest, but the fact that seeing it there caused Naruto to freeze in his tracks like a deer in the headlights and stare at his reflection was what struck Neji as curious. The blonde had lost a shade of color as a trickle of sweat rolled down the side of his cheek, hands trembling as they reached for a kunai, as though he was about to attack the offending mirror.

Rather then continue the observation, Neji narrowed his eyes and walked right up behind Naruto. "Stop gawking and get your board, Naruto. I wished to defeat you as soon as possible." he barked into the boy's ear, causing the blonde to blink and jump forward as though his guest had just pinched him.

It took Naruto a split second to register those words, his blue eyes focusing on Neji before he let out a short laugh. "Sure thing, Neji-kun." he says, obviously not having heard what Neji said as he skipped over to the dresser. With a surprising amount of reverence, he picked up the helmet and set it on the bed, staring at it before spinning back around to pick up the board. "Got it!" he shouts, turning to se that Neji was now staring at the helmet. "..do ya like it?" the blonde couldn't help but ask, tucking the board under his arm.

Neji nodded absently, finally connecting to why the helmet looked so familiar. Its former owner had been the Sanadime Hokage, better known as 'The Professor'. He had seen the Hokage's battle attire once in his history book, and was reaching out to see if it was a replica or not. "Where did you…" his words were cut off when he found Naruto's hand clasping his wrist in a vice-like grip, preventing the Hyuuga from even touching the helmet. Neji frowned and turned to look at Naruto, trying to look impassive despite how he could see the orange-clad boy was equally as stone faced.

They remained staring at her until Naruto released his grip, walking over to the helmet and picking it up, holding it in both hands as though it would shatter if another soul touched it. "It…belonged to someone very important to me." he said, his voice subdued as he set the helmet back into place, as though the top of the dresser was some sort of shrine. By the time he spun back around, that mile wide smile was back on his lips, though it was obvious it was being forced as he tried to shift the subject to something else. "Let's get to that rematch! I know just where we can go!" he said, skipping to the door with the board tucked under his arm, and running into someone that was standing there.

The man towered over Naruto, his arms resting on his hips as he glared down at his pupil. The way the tattoos under his eyes wrinkled told everyone there that he was aggravated about something, though he had yet to say a word. From the way Naruto was looking at him, Jiraiya could tell the kid's short memory span had struck again, but he wasn't going to let him use that as an excuse. "Kid, you're late for training. Quit messing around and let's get going." he snapped in obvious irritation, then shifted his glare over to the Hyuuga, who was trying to glare right back.

"C'mon, Ero-Sennin! Neji just wanted to play a round of shogi with me!" Naruto retaliated after hopping to his feet, shaking his fist at the man as though he expected that to help him get his way. Of course, he knew it wouldn't, but that didn't mean he couldn't at least give it a try. It at least got Jiraiya to look back at him, the blonde refusing to bow down to the old man just yet. He promised Neji a rematch, and he never went back on his word.

The two just continued to glare at one another, the taller running a hand through his snow white hair and sighing in irritation. It was the first time that Naruto looked fired up about more then training in awhile, and he figured the kid could use this as stamina training. "Fine then, brat. But I expect you to report to me the second you get finished. Maybe I'll see how good you are in shogi against me." he flashed the boy a smug grin, pressing his thumb against his chest

Naruto's previous melancholy was forgotten as he mirrored the Sannin's grin, squeezing his fist and cheering loudly. "Of course! I'll wipe the floor with ya!" he proclaimed with no sign of doubt, looking back to Neji with a million-watt smile that seemed to illuminate the room all on its own. Neji merely smirked and nodded and followed Naruto out of the room, the two man procession heading for a set of downward spiraling stairs.

When the two of them left, Jiraiya couldn't suppress his chuckle and looked around the room. _"I've gotta admit, that lay about Kakashi did some decent work." _he mused to himself, the grin leaving his lips as soon as he saw the mirror on the closet door. "…baka." was all he could mutter as he walked over to the door, placing his hands on either side of the reflective device and lifting it off the support hooks that it rested on. "I'm surprised the kid didn't go and smash this thing when he saw it. One more reason that these guests are a good thing." he muttered to himself, tucking the mirror under his arm and heading out the door, going up the stairwell to Sasuke's room.

--

"That's it. I'm lost."

After a full twenty minutes of wandering around like an idiot, Choji was finally willing to admit that he had absolutely no idea where he was going. He sighed and scratched the back of his head, glancing around the area he ambled into. It looked like another of the hallways that looked the exact same as the others.

He heard that the Forest of Death was the former incarnation of Training Area 44, and had been expanded to take in the surrounding training areas after some sort of incident ten years ago. Why they would make such a massive building was beyond his understanding, especially since most of the lower floor hallways just lead to dead ends. Thankfully, this one had an open door at the end of the hall, near the window. "Hopefully, it has some food in it." Choji mused aloud, unconsciously licking his lips as he opened the door further and stepped inside.

Unfortunately, all the cupboards in the former storehouse were empty, which caused his stomach to protest loudly. He patted his belly and nodded in silent agreement with it, glancing up to see the door that seemed to lead…outside? _"We're like six floors up. Where could that go?"_ he asked himself, fully aware the only way to know that answer would be to investigate, since all the light outside obscured his ability to see. Taking in a breath, incase it would turn out to be some sort of sick trick, he stepped through the open door and onto a gated off balcony.

"Who are you?"

Those words caused Choji to suddenly turn to his left, raising his hands in an offensive position and looked around, to find a kid his age laying down on his back, still looking at the skyline. He had on a tan colored vest over a fishnet shirt and cargo pants, his hair tied off in a topknot.

The young boy, who made the inquiry, shifted his gaze over to the rotund ninja, quirking an eyebrow slightly. "Well, aren't you going to answer?" he didn't waste the energy required in keeping the irritation out of his voice, still frowning. The young man forced himself to sit up slightly, moving his hand from the back of his head and resting his palms on the ground in order to support himself, causing the leaf hitai-ate around his right arm to glint in the light.

"Uhh…I'm Akimichi Choji. Who are you?" the boy asked, deciding to rest his aching legs by sitting down next to the unknown shinobi, crossing his legs and tilted his head to the side. Something about this kid reminded him of his father's old partner. Wasn't it..Nara, or something like that? He had been too preoccupied with his ramen at the time to really pay attention.

The topknot toting boy nodded, as though he had just finished categorizing the name for later recollection before he spoke. "My name's Nara Shikamaru. And before you ask, I was watching the clouds." he said, deciding to cut off Choji's next question before he thought enough of it up to speak. _"Jeez, all these people are wandering around unsupervised? That means we've all gotta look like this, and that's just troublesome."_ he thought, mentally rolling his eyes. He would have done so externally, but he had no wish to get on the guests' nerves so soon. Kakashi and the others would give him an earful if he did.

Choji quietly nodded before looking into the sky. He had to admit, it was a nice day out. "Do you mind if I join you?" he asked after a moment of silence, his hunger becoming a little less concerning as he found the fluffy white clouds almost hypnotizing.

He knew he should have said no. It would be too troublesome not to. He was sure Sasuke would have, then brushed the guy off before going some place else. Of course, he thankfully wasn't Sasuke, and no one had wanted to cloud watch with him in awhile. "Sure." he said, nodding slightly before returning to laying down on his back, soon followed by Choji.

Shikamaru couldn't explain why, but he slowly began to think this wouldn't be as troublesome as he thought.

--

Lee, on the other hand, found his task to be far more troublesome then he had initially bargained for.

He had caught sight of the pair entering the woods, and had leapt out the window with the fires of youth in his eyes. Of course, he had jumped from the fifth floor of the Tower to get after the two of them, and was quickly grabbing hold of any nearby vines and branches in order to slow down his rate of descent. His bushy eyebrows furrowed as he watched his soon to be opponent disappear into the undergrowth ahead of him, latching himself around the trunk of a tree in an attempt to be stealthy as he waited for his moment to begin his challenge.

The sudden bursts of smoke did not disconcert the young man as he clenched a fist, springing from his perch like a green jungle cat, tearing through the foliage as he shouted loudly. "Uchiha Sasuke! I, Rock Lee, hereby challenge..?" his triad was cut short when he found his quarry strangely absent from where he had anticipated the pair of them would be. _"Hmmm. It seems that he is so in awe of my prowess that he has decided to keep out of sight, lest he be humiliated in front of his sensei. Very shrewd."_ he mused, rubbing his chin as he found that to the most logical explanation to the strange occurrence.

"Is that you, Lee-kun?"

The green-clad ninja felt his heart skip a beat as he suddenly spun around to see Sakura and Ino staring at him from their branch perches, both looking rather confused at his antics. "Beloved Sakura-chan, you have come to declare your love for me? I am truly moved at how beautifully your burning youth flames!" he placed one hand over his heart, while the other was wiping tears from his eyes. "And you even wished to bring young Ino-san to witness this moment. Your benevolence knows no bounds!" he clenched both hands and looked up at Sakura, apparently undeterred by the disgusted look that crossed her face.

"Actually, Lee-kun, we saw Sasuke come here, and we wanted to talk to him about the curse." Sakura said, trying to ignore the snickers that were coming from her blonde compatriot. She couldn't help but feel bad about the crestfallen look that latched onto Lee's face, sighing as she leapt down to the ground. "Since it dosen't look like he's here, how about we all take a look around the grounds. It wouldn't hurt to know our surroundings for later." she recommended with a slight smile, deciding that she could at least travel with Lee after unintentionally hurting his feelings.

Thankfully, the boy was quick to rebound, the fires of inner youth re-stoked as he nodded in agreement. "Yosh! And if we don't come back to this spot before we are called in, I shall run to the top of the tower 100 times! And if I cannot do that, then I shall run from here to the Hokage's office 500 times!" he practically bellowed those words, ignoring the sweatdrops that formed on Ino and Sakura as he bounded into the brush, soon followed by the other two.

Just as the bushes finally settled, a loud snicker filled the air. "Oh my. I wasn't sure if I was going to last or not." Kakashi said with a chuckle, looking over at Sasuke as they stood on the underside of one of the higher branches, both of them entirely cloaked by the shadow of the leaf-laden boughs that were overhead. The silver-haired jounin snickered at Sasuke's usual scowl before looking back to reading from his Icha-Icha Paradise: Halloween Edition book.

"They're all fools." Sasuke groused, shaking his head as he thought about those flouncing airheads that seemed so infatuated with him. "He has his competitive streak as an excuse. Those other two are just laughable." he grumbled, trying to continue scowling as Kakashi put a hand on his head.

"It's not their fault. Most girls their age want to be whisked off their feet by some handsome prince, and you fit the bill, Sasuuke-kun." retorted the older shinobi as he ruffled the boys feathers. "Thankfully, they don't seem to mind your personality much. Maybe you just got lucky to get the girls that like 'em cute, dark, and brooding." he said, amusement in his visible eye. "Now, let's get back to training." he said, effectively cutting Sasuke off before he decided to say something about not being cute, a boy, or a prince.

His protégé grunted and gave a nod before the two disappeared further into the shadows to begin their session.

-----------------

At last! It is done, my readers! Again, I am sorry for the long wait. With any luck, it shall be the last time you wait so long. -clenches fist- Yosh! And if it is not, then I shall post two every month, with omake scenes at the end! And if I cannot keep my word, then I shall write three every month, with omake scenes at the end, and will be typing them all in the siezna position! In this, I, Preventer Squall, hereby pledge with all my manly heart! -eyes are aflame in the passions of his rekindled youth, in the thrall of Gai-Mode-

Be sure to read and review, everybody, and I'll see you in the next update. Same time, same channel!


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